Days of Wine and Wizards
by magalena
Summary: Hermione is seeking a Potions apprenticeship. Draco manages to come up with a plan to help, but how in the world does Lucius Malfoy end up becoming the answer to her prayers? This story was originally posted at the LJ comm: lm hgficxchange, for the 2012 exchange.
1. Chapter 1

Days of Wine and Wizards

Chapter 1

AN: This story was originally posted at the LJ comm: lm_hgficxchange, for the 2012 exchange. It is complete in seven chapters. Many thanks go to my wonderful beta: clairvoyant12 and to my alpha reader and Brit Picker: talesofsnape. Please note: any mistakes are my own, I do admit to 'tweaking' things a bit even after the beta work was done. And special thanks to blueartemis07 for the lovely prompt.

Also in light of the recent activity on this archive of purges of M rated fics, please note that I do have my stories saved at other archives. Check my bio for the names of these sites.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I make no money here.

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Hermione felt a strange sense of déjà vu as she slowly approached the Potions classroom and prepared to knock. It reminded her of so many other times when she had stood outside this door waiting to be granted entrance by the surly Potions master. Although it had been several years since she'd walked the halls of Hogwarts and stood outside this very door, it seemed like only yesterday. As she knocked, even knowing it was impossible, she still half expected to hear Professor Snape's voice bark from within. But he'd been dead for seven years, and she knew that for a fact, as she'd seen him die.

A voice from within called out, curtly, "Enter."

Obviously, not Snape's voice, but not Slughorn's either. That was odd. When Minerva had sent her to talk to the Potions master, Hermione had assumed it would be Slughorn. Pushing the door open, she poked her head inside. When she didn't see anyone in the classroom she called out, tentatively, "Hello."

In answer, a voice came from the storeroom. "Have a seat, please. I'll be there in just a second; let me finish this."

Hermione frowned briefly, that voice sounded so familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Taking the chair in front of the teacher's desk, Hermione sat and took the time to examine the classroom more carefully. Not much had changed since the last time she sat there. A few of the strange, disgusting things floating in jars had been discarded. Other than that there was very little difference from when she had returned to complete her final year after the war.

Seeing someone stepping out of the storeroom, she turned, and her mouth promptly fell open in shock. "Malfoy?"

"Granger? What on earth are you doing here?" he asked, his face breaking into a smile. "I thought you'd fallen off the face of the earth, love. Although, I do seem to recall Luna telling me that you'd settled in Australia."

She stood as he approached, unsure how to greet him after so many years, but he solved her dilemma by brushing her hand aside as he swept her up into a friendly hug. "I know it's been years, Granger, and we haven't exactly kept in touch with each other, but I do seem to recall we managed to become friends during our last year here."

She smiled and hugged him back. Only a few from their year had returned to complete or re-do that final year after the war. Harry and Ron hadn't bothered, but had taken up the offer to go directly into Auror training. Although she had planned to join them eventually, she'd really wanted to finish her schooling and take her NEWTs. Neville had come back along with the Patil sisters, Susan Bones, and a few others including Draco. Somehow, after the war, house loyalty had seemed the least of their worries. The group of eighth years, as they'd become known, had managed to form the bonds of friendship.

In fact, just before the Christmas hols of that year, when Ron's betrayal had come to light, it had been Draco and Neville who had rallied around her. When Harry tried to justify his reasoning for not telling her of Ron's perfidy, Neville told him off and sent him on his way as she'd cried on Draco's shoulder. In one fell swoop, she'd lost her fiancé, her best friend, and her dream of entering the Auror program. Instead, at the end of the year, she'd changed her plans, recruited Professor Flitwick's help, and gone to Australia to try to restore her parent's memories. Ultimately, she'd ended up staying there and lost track of old friends and schoolmates, other than an occasional note from Luna.

"You may regret reminding me of that, Draco, when you find out why I've come here," she said with a laugh.

"Come to collect that life debt I owe, have you?" he asked with a smirk, as he popped open a hidden panel behind the blackboard to lead her from the classroom to his private office.

"Life debt? What are you on about now?" asked Hermione, perplexed. "You don't owe me a life debt."

She sat down in the chair that he indicated in front of the fireplace. Draco called a house-elf and requested tea before seating himself opposite her.

"In the Room of Requirement, the Golden Trio saved my arse. I'd say that warrants a life debt, if anything does," Draco replied seriously.

Hermione shook her head. "That was Harry's doing, Malfoy. If anything, he's the one who saved your life, not me."

"You three were the ones with the brooms that day," protested Draco. "You could have just as easily flown out of there and left me and Greg behind, but you didn't. I've half expected one of you to claim the debt long before now."

"Whatever, Draco," said Hermione with another shake of her head. "I'm not holding you or Goyle to that. But I did come here to ask a favor. I didn't know it would be you whom I'd be asking, though. I just assumed that Slughorn was still the Potions master here. I had no idea you'd taken over."

"It took me a few years to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I really have no desire to run the family businesses. I tried it—I hated it," explained Draco, shrugging. "But then, I realized that I have always loved potions; so, it just seemed like a logical choice. I've just finished my apprenticeship, and luckily for me the timing was right, as Minerva was looking for a new Potions master."

"Well, I've been working on a dual mastery in Arithmancy and Potions. I've just completed my Arithmancy apprenticeship; it would have been impossible to do both simultaneously, even for an over-achiever like me," Hermione said with a laugh as Draco rolled his eyes. "I was all set to start my Potions apprenticeship with Mistress Winifred Wooster in Perth. Unfortunately, Winnie passed away a few weeks ago, and there are no other openings available right now. There are only two other Potion masters offering apprenticeships in Australia, and I really don't want to wait another year or two for something to open up there.

"I considered trying somewhere else, but I have no other contacts in the states, Asia or anywhere else. And you yourself must know how difficult it is to get a toehold in this field. It's not what you know, it's who you know," complained Hermione as Draco nodded in agreement. "So, I came here hoping that Minerva might be able to provide me with some leads. She sent me down to talk to the resident Potions master. However, she neglected to tell me that Professor Slughorn had retired."

Hermione perked up suddenly, sitting up she asked, "Say, Draco, do you suppose he'd be willing to offer me an apprenticeship? He'd certainly have the time since he's no longer teaching."

"Even if he were willing, you wouldn't want to apprentice with Sluggy, Granger. I couldn't even consider it myself. I had to look elsewhere. The old boy's gone a bit barmy in the last few years."

"Wasn't he always?" she asked with a grimace. In all honesty, she had never cared for the professor's penchant for cultivating a circle of celebrities around him.

"This is worse—much worse. He's forgetful, almost delusional at times. Poor Minerva had to force him into retirement, as she was afraid he might have blown up the school, or poisoned one of the students. She'd had several temporary fill-ins for the last couple of years, so the timing was perfect for me to come back now."

"Well, damnation," said Hermione, tossing her hands up in the air as she threw herself back into the chair. She sat in silence for a moment, considering, before she asked, "Draco, I don't suppose you'd consider...?"

"Sorry, Granger, can't do it. I would if I could; you must know how much I'd love the chance to have you under my thumb after all these years, " Draco explained with an evil smirk and a waggle of his eyebrows. "But according to the Potion Guild's rules, a Potions master must work in his chosen field of research, teaching or practical potioneering for a minimum of ten years before he or she is allowed to take on an apprentice."

"Double damn!" exclaimed Hermione. "I'd forgotten about that."

She sat in silence for a few seconds until a new idea popped into her head. "Wait... whom did you apprentice with, Draco? Could you give me a reference?"

Draco suddenly seemed nervous, his eyes looking everywhere but at Hermione. He seemed happy for the distraction when the house-elf popped in with a heavily laden tea tray.

But Hermione was like a dog with a bone and refused to be side-tracked. "A reference, Draco. Would you be willing?"

"I just don't think it's possible, Granger. The master I apprenticed with is very reclusive. He wouldn't even have consented to take me on if it hadn't been as a personal favor to my father."

"Your father? I don't understand. How is your father involved in potions?" asked Hermione, narrowing her eyes, clearly puzzled as to what sort of influence Lucius Malfoy would have in the potions field..

Draco scrubbed his hand over his face and through his normally immaculate hair. "Father is his patron, I guess you'd say. He's a former associate of Father's who prefers to live in seclusion. So, my father pays his support and allows him to live at the chateau while he does potions research for Malfoy Industries. In return, he has free rein to work on his own pet projects."

At these comments, she recalled that Draco's parents had gone through a very bitter, messy, public divorce following the war. It had been in all the papers for weeks. Afterward, his father had retreated to some family estates in France. Apparently, he remained there still, running his family's business ventures, including the potions division, long distance.

Hermione's brow wrinkled. "And does this mysterious man have a name?"

"You'll not have heard of him; like I've tried to explain, he's a real recluse. He lives in self-imposed seclusion and never appears in public or attends conferences. His name is Julius Sebastian."

Hermione shook her head. "Well, you're absolutely right: the name means nothing to me."

Draco then added with a knowing smile. "You may, however, have read some of his articles; he publishes under the pseudonym Sebastian Septimius."

Hermione gasped, her mouth falling open in shock. "Septimius? Great Merlin, Draco, the man is brilliant! His treatise on the intrinsic properties of aconite and how to neutralize its alkalinity without affecting the potency was ground breaking!" She jumped to her feet, visibly excited, and she began to pace back and forth.

"Septimius! Dear lord, I can't believe it, and you apprenticed with him? Perhaps I could convince him... Draco, could you get me an appointment with him. Could you... would you provide me with a reference, please?"

Draco grimaced, shaking his head sadly. "Hermione, he'd never take you on."

She sat hard in her chair and slapped her hands on the table, rattling the tea service as she faced him. "You don't know that. He might consider me. I've maintained top marks throughout my academic career."

"It has nothing to do with your grades. He doesn't take apprentices, ever. I was the first, and he only took me on because he owed my father such a huge favor."

"Oh, your father..." Hermione sank into the chair, her enthusiasm leaking away like the air let out of a balloon. "Oh, of course, Mr. Sebastian would never take _me_ as his apprentice. I should have realized; it's quite obvious."

Draco frowned, "What is it exactly you think you've realized?"

Hermione ticked off the reasons on her fingers. "He is a past associate of your father's. He lives in seclusion because he doesn't want anyone to know about his former life. He must have been a Death Eater, although probably a low level one, as I don't recognize the name. Obviously, he'd never want anything to do with someone like me, a lowly Mu... Muggle-born. He'd never even consider it."

"It's not because of your blood status, Granger. Honestly, I know the man well. That's not an issue at all for him and never has been."

"Then what is the harm in asking him?" cried Hermione. "I don't understand."

"He's been a Potions master for twenty-five years, and in all that time he's never taken an apprentice. Ever. He never would have agreed to take me on either if my father hadn't practically blackmailed him into it."

"Well, that's that, then." She sat dejectedly, staring at the floor, her fingers twisting painfully as she clenched her hands together in frustration. She tried to blink back tears of disappointment.

Draco stared at her in silence, for what seemed like an eternity, before he spoke. Clearing his throat gruffly, he said, "Well... there is one possibility..."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione raised her gaze to his. "What's that?"

"It won't come cheap, though. You probably wouldn't be willing to pay the price I want."

"Don't tease me with it, Malfoy. Just spit it out," snarled Hermione.

"Well, it so happens that Julius owes i_me_/i a favor. A rather big one, as a matter of fact. I might be willing to call it in. If he makes you his apprentice, then he's off the hook with me. He might go for it."

"And you'd be willing to use this favor for me in return for... what?" asked Hermione.

Her eyes suddenly grew huge, then her nose crinkled in disgust. "I am not sleeping with you, Malfoy!" she exclaimed as her shook her finger in his face. "I will not trade sex for an apprenticeship, no matter how much I want it. Errr... the apprenticeship that is, not the sex."

Draco laughed as he assured her, "Don't worry, you won't have to sleep with me, Granger. My girlfriend would definitely not approve of that scenario. But when I tell you what it is I want in return, you might wish it something as simple as sex."

* * *

So it was that barely a week later, Hermione stood outside the gates of a rustic country estate in the Auvergne region of France near Murol. Shaking her head, she couldn't help but wonder how in hell she had let herself be talked into this ridiculous scheme. Draco was right. Sex would have been an easier price to pay.

Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself it would all be worth it in the long run if she could secure herself a Potions apprenticeship with Julius Sebastian/Septimius. Still, at this point, she had absolutely no idea how she was going to accomplish the deed; it seemed like an impossible task.

Draco's father had retired from the wizarding world, and even now, years later, he showed no interest in returning. Even in France, he kept to himself, living in isolation on his family estate. He continued to handle the Malfoy investments through lawyers and minions, but rarely bothered to appear in public himself. Draco's greatest wish was for his father to return to wizarding society in general and specifically come back to England. He had been unable to convince Lucius to even consider such an outcome, but Draco somehow expected Hermione to accomplish the deed.

Draco had informed her that the mysterious Mr. Sebastian would be away from the chateau, as he took an annual sabbatical to travel and search for rare potions ingredients. His proposal was that, by the end of the summer, nearly three months away, Hermione must somehow convince his father to come back to his life in England. In return, Draco would call in the favor owed and thus ensure her apprenticeship position.

To assist her in her quest, Draco came up with a somewhat plausible scenario to convince Lucius to allow her to stay at the chateau. They would claim that Hermione actually _was_ calling in a life debt. In payment, she required Draco to help her secure her Potions apprenticeship, as well as provide her somewhere to stay over the summer while she completed a research project. Draco claimed it just made sense for her to get settled in at the chateau if she were to end up working there anyway for her apprenticeship.

The Chateau de Malfoy stood near the top of a hill, overlooking a scenic valley. There were acres and acres of vineyards lining the hillside. The house itself wasn't nearly as large or as elegant as Malfoy Manor, but in Hermione's eyes, it was much more appealing. It was like something from a fairy tale. On each corner of the main house stood a round tower at least four stories high with a cone-shaped roof; Hermione smiled as she envisioned dragons and princesses and handsome princes. At first glance, the house itself looked old, worn, and rather weather beaten. But as she gazed upon it, the sun broke through the clouds, and suddenly, everything was awash in glow of rich gold. It took her breath away.

Hermione stood waiting nervously, and just as she was about to ring the bell again, she saw someone walking down the path towards the gate. Anticipating a house-elf, she was surprised to see the Lord of the Manor himself approaching.

His appearance was a shock to Hermione. For some reason she had expected him to appear much as he had when the snatchers had brought her to Malfoy Manor: rough and rumpled, unshaven and projecting the aura of a broken man. Instead he looked marvelous. His platinum locks were shining and tied back neatly with a ribbon, his skin had a healthy tanned glow, and he carried himself with a natural grace and strength. He was dressed in a manner more casual than she had ever seen or imagined Lucius Malfoy, his cream-colored linen shirt unbuttoned at the throat and the cuffs rolled up to reveal his forearms. Most surprising of all, he wore a pair of Muggle jeans, the worn material nicely faded and soft and clinging to his well-muscled thighs. She found herself wondering if they hugged his bum just as well and she wished he would turn around so she could see.

"Miss Granger, I made sure the elves left the gate unlocked, as we were expecting your arrival," Lucius said, illustrating his point by pushing it open. "Why did you not come up to house?"

"I wasn't sure that would be a wise action, Mr. Malfoy, to enter and walk across your grounds unescorted. Not entirely safe, perhaps, for a Muggle-born like myself," Hermione replied somewhat bluntly. _Might as well call a spade a spade and a former Death Eater a former Death Eater, _she thought.

"I assure you, my dear, there are no remaining charms, hexes, or curses here at the chateau that might harm a Muggle-born such as yourself; I've made sure of that. There is nothing here more threatening than a Muggle-Repelling Spell to keep the locals at bay. I wouldn't want to get in trouble with the Ministry, after all. Here in France, they are even stricter regarding discrimination against blood status and birthright than back at home. It is a practice that actually began here shortly after the Muggle French revolution."

As she levitated her trunk, Hermione smiled at the thought of the French wizarding world's reaction to the Muggle revolution. "I guess I didn't realize that, sir. Vive la révolution!"

He chuckled at her response. He walked beside her and pointed out several different paths and landmarks to help her find her way about the estate. After the third time she thanked him and called him Mr. Malfoy, he said, "Please, call me Lucius, Miss Granger. Having you call me Mr. Malfoy or sir makes me feel ever so ancient."

Hermione stole a glance out of the corner of her eye. She had thought that Draco's father would object to her presence here and had not expected him to treat her so cordially. Perhaps he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security. Time would tell, she decided, as she answered him, "Then you must call me Hermione, Lucius. And you—ancient? Please. The very idea is unthinkable. I honestly don't believe you have aged a day since the first time I ever saw you."

"You are too kind, my dear," he replied as he opened the front door of the chateau for her. "Welcome to my home. Come in. The house-elves have prepared a luncheon in your honor. They are very excited to have someone new to fuss over. We rarely have company aside from Draco's visits. They have been horribly bored with just me here since Se... bastian... errr... that is Julius left on his annual adventure."

A petite house-elf, dressed in a spotless tea towel, stood just inside the door and smiled shyly at Hermione. "Fifi, take Miss Hermione's bags up to her room and unpack them for her, please."

Hermione was surprised at the polite tone Lucius used toward the house-elf. In fact, so far, nothing was going as she had envisioned at all. What the hell had she got herself into, she wondered? She suddenly realized that he had been talking to her and blushed at her inattention. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she replied, "my mind wandered off for a moment. What were you saying?"

"I was just asking if you preferred to go up with Fifi to freshen up and rest for a bit, or if you would like to go directly to the dining room for lunch?"

"I'm famished," she admitted. "I didn't eat much before I left, so food sounds wonderful."

"Perfect. Afterward, I'll show you around the chateau, and then you can get settled in," said Lucius as he led her down the hallway to the dining room.

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she finally got the chance to ogle the way those jeans caressed that gorgeous bum.

* * *

Hermione was ready to scream in frustration. Two weeks had passed, and she was no closer now to finding a way to get Lucius to return to his old life in England than she had been on the day of her arrival. She had, in fact, seen very little of him. She wondered if he was avoiding her, or if he was perhaps actually angry at the thought that she was using his son by way of the supposed life debt. And yet, if that were the case, he gave no outward sign of it, as he continued to treat her with unerring politeness during the few brief encounters they had shared.

Hermione now realized that she must be housed in the guest wing, as she never passed Lucius in the halls or heard him on his way to his rooms at night. He didn't stay around the house much during the day, so she decided her best chance to establish a rapport with him was at meals. However, it seemed that she was thwarted in this, as well, because he was rarely at breakfast. Hermione figured he must rise at the crack of dawn to be off about his business of managing the estates. He was never there for luncheon, and he had joined her for dinner less than a handful of times. During those evenings when he was present, he had been extremely quiet and appeared nearly exhausted.

How on earth was she to enact her nonexistent plan if she never got to see him or talk to him? She had to find a way somehow to get closer to him if she was to have any chance at all.

Through some very subtle probing of the house-elves, she had finally been able to learn about the project that was consuming all of his time. It seemed that at some point in the distant past, the Chateau de Malfoy had been home to the most famous wizarding vineyards in France. Lucius' great-great-great grandfather, Louis Malfoy, along with a group of vintner-elves had produced some of the finest elf-made wine in the entire wizarding world. However, something had happened, no one seemed to know exactly what, and the the vintner-elves had left the Chateau de Malfoy. Unlike house-elves, vintner-elves were an independent race whose skills at wine-making were in high demand among wizarding vintnors. Lucius' real dream was to restore the chateau's winery to its former glory.

This at least gave Hermione something to focus on, and she did what she had always done best. She researched. Using the vast Malfoy library she learned as much as she could about wine making, vintner-elves, and even the history of the chateau itself. Hermione hoped that gathering as much information as possible on Lucius' main interest would give her the advantage she needed.

Her room was on the third floor of the west tower where she had a lovely window seat with a stunning view of the vineyards. A movement caught her eye, and Hermione set aside the book she had been reviewing, about the history of vintner-elves, and looked out toward the barns. She suddenly perked up as she saw Lucius stride purposefully toward the out buildings. Although he was obviously sweaty and covered with dirt from the fields, he somehow managed to look sexier than any man had a right to.

Hermione leaned forward, resting her arms on the window sill, and she gazed hungrily at the lord of the manor as he reached one of the small sheds and began methodically removing his clothes. She could hardly believe her eyes. Was he going to strip right there in the open? Pushing back the curtain to make sure it didn't obscure her view, she rested her chin on the heel of her hand as she watched intently, not wanting to miss anything.

Lucius sat on a bench to remove his short dragon hide boots, then his socks, stuffing them inside the boots and carefully setting them underneath the bench. He stood and unrolled his shirtsleeves, unbuttoned his shirt and pealed it off, tossing it too onto the bench. He then stretched, twisting his body from side to side before pulling his arm across the front of his body, as if he were trying to work out a 'catch' in his shoulder muscles. _And what very nice muscles they are_, she thought as she admired his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and well defined abs. Hermione picked up a notebook, and used it to fan herself madly in an attempt to cool off. _When did it get so hot in here? _she wondered.

Kneeling up on the bench of the window seat, she leaned even farther forward, her eyes never straying from their target. She licked her lips and nervously gnawed at the bottom one. Lucius, meanwhile, had turned his back toward the house, but it was obvious he was undoing his belt and the front of his jeans. She held her breath as he pulled the belt through the loops and threw it on top of his shirt, and then she groaned in disappointment when he opened a door and stepped into a stall. He slipped his jeans and briefs off and lobbed them over the door to join the rest of his clothes on the bench. One of the house-elves immediately popped in to gather up the soiled clothing and leave a fresh change neatly folded on the bench. He hung a big, fluffy towel on a hook right next to the door, as well.

Hermione realized that Lucius had a shower installed down there to wash away the grime of working in the fields. She could still see his legs, from the knees down, and his head and shoulders, but everything in between was hidden by the walls of the shower stall. She continued to watch anyway as he stood beneath the spray, enjoying the view as he reached for the soap and began to lather himself up. He bent over and disappeared from her view for a moment, and she realized he was soaping his legs, his hands sliding down over his calves to his feet and back up. He stood and lifted his arms as he ran the bar of soap over them and over his chest. His hands moved down, and she knew that he was soaping something else entirely; her face flamed but she couldn't tear her eyes away.

He was rinsing off the soap when he suddenly froze and grabbed something from a shelf inside the stall. She guessed it was his wand when it suddenly appeared in his hand. He slowly turned around in a full circle, his eyes carefully checking out the entire area. It was almost as if he could sense someone watching him and... he raised his eyes toward her room. Hermione dove for the window seat in a flash, hoping to hell that she'd got out of view before he realized that she had been watching his shower like some kind of peep show.

Lucius had never yet come in for lunch, but she decided not to take any chances that today might be the one day that he did. She asked one of the kitchen-elves to fix a picnic basket for her, and she set off across the fields toward a small stream that ran nearby. She was too embarrassed to risk having to face Lucius just yet.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**: This story was originally posted at the LJ comm: lm_hgficxchange, for the 2012 exchange. Many thanks go to my wonderful beta: clairvoyant12 and to my alpha reader and Brit Picker: talesofsnape. Please note: any mistakes are my own, I do admit to 'tweaking' things a bit even after the beta work was done. And special thanks to blueartemis07 for the lovely prompt.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I make no money here.

* * *

Lucius hadn't spent so many years as a Death Eater without developing a sixth sense, and when he felt that uneasy prickle, as if someone were watching him, he reacted immediately. Grabbing his wand, which was never far from his reach, he quickly surveyed the perimeter of the yard. He had always felt safe here at the chateau. It was one of the places he had loved most, ever since he was a child, and having this feeling of being watched here in his own sanctuary bothered him more that he might have expected.

Seeing nothing nearby, his eyes scanned the nearer vineyards for anything unusual. The last thing he wanted was to face some unknown threat whilst standing stark naked in his great-grandfather's outdoor shower. Grand-pére had installed the shower to please his wife who had complained that Claude stunk of sweat and dirt when he came in from the fields. Lucius could have easily Scourgified the dirt and sweat from his body and then showered inside. But he found the spray of the shower invigorating after a hard day of work in the fields, much of it done without benefit magic, as it tended to damage the delicate young cuttings. At this moment, however, he just felt vulnerable.

There was nothing visible in the fields, so he turned toward the house and, in that instant, felt an immense surge of relief as he witnessed a flash in the third story west tower window. He was positive that was Hermione Granger making a mad dive to escape his line of sight. He grinned as he realized that the minx had been spying on him as he stood naked in the shower. He couldn't help but wonder if she liked what she'd seen.

Lucius was puzzled as to what Granger was doing in the west tower. He had instructed Fifi to put their guest in the garden suite, as it was the nicest in that wing and overlooked his great-grandmother's gardens. He had been avoiding the girl up until now, but his curiosity was piqued, and he decided to return to the house for lunch. It might be amusing to see what developed.

Lucius quickly learned that Fifi had indeed put their guest in the garden suite, but the girl had requested to move into one of the tower rooms. Fifi was extremely apologetic that she hadn't been able to convince the young miss to accept the rooms Master Lucius had specified. Worried that the silly thing might go iron her hands or invent some other ridiculous punishment, he finally managed to convince her that everything was fine and gave her direct orders not to inflict any sort of self-discipline over the issue.

He was a bit put out after waiting half an hour for lunch, only to learn that Hermione had already requested a picnic lunch and would not be joining him. He was now positive that she was avoiding him due to being caught earlier spying upon him. Lucius decided to first finish his lunch, and then to circumvent her attempt to avoid him by seeking her out himself. He was looking forward to watching her squirm once she realized that he knew she'd been ogling him earlier.

Lucius headed in the direction one of the kitchen-elves had pointed him. It seemed this was not the first picnic lunch Hermione had requested during her stay, which made him feel just the slightest bit guilty. He had been purposely ignoring the girl because he really hadn't wanted her here in the first place. Still, she was probably feeling rather lonely. Her only interaction for the past two weeks had been with the house-elves. He hadn't been a very good host thus far, he mused; perhaps he would make an effort to be a bit more friendly.

As he came up over a small hill, he spotted his quarry, asleep on a blanket under a tree near the stream, exactly where the house-elf had suggested he look. Apparently, it was one of her favorite places. Looking around, he realized that, coincidentally, it had been one of his own secret spots to come to when he'd been a boy. She didn't stir as he approached, confirming his suspicion that she was sleeping soundly.

Glancing down, Lucius noticed that she'd been sketching, and if the upturned page were any indication, the girl had a good eye. The scene was of the stream and the hills in the distance. Squatting down, he flipped the book to the front and saw several small sketches of flowers and bees, butterflies, a squirrel, some birds. The next page revealed a striking view of the Chateau de Malfoy in quite accurate detail. Damn, the girl actually had some talent; he wouldn't mind having that one framed to hang in his study. He wondered if she might actually consider giving it to him... Perhaps if he were very, very nice to her.

Turning the page, he was shocked to find his own face staring back at him. He realized it was of the day she had arrived and he'd met her down at the gate. It showed him in shirtsleeves and jeans, his hair tied back. Even though they were mere Muggle sketches, she had managed to captured his graceful stride and the slightly condescending expression on his face.

He flipped through several more pages of house-elves and flowers and scenes of the estate. He meant to turn it back to the original scene of the stream before replacing the book, but the page before it caught his eye. It was him in the shower in all his nearly naked glory, shielded only by the walls of the stall. Along the edge of the page were a series of small vignettes of him: sitting on the bench to take off his boots, unbuttoning his shirt, stretching his sore shoulder, removing his belt. Well, well, well... This was certainly interesting. It was obvious she hadn't got just a quick glimpse and then hidden from his view, as he'd first assumed. She'd been studying him quite closely the entire time.

Deciding turn about was fair play, he set the sketchbook down and turned to get a better look at the witch he'd been ignoring for the better part of two weeks. Lucius froze in his tracks, for there, not more than half a meter from her foot, coiled up and sunning himself, was an Asp Viper, one of the few truly venomous snakes in France.

Shit! That's all he needed: for the Gryffindor Princess war heroine to be bitten by a snake while at his estate. No one would ever believe it was an accident.

He slowly pulled out his wand so as not to startle the creature. Of course it was at that very instant Hermione woke up.

* * *

Hermione didn't know what had caused her to awaken. She'd been having some very lovely graphic dreams involving the lord of the manor, only to open her eyes to find said lord looming over her with his wand drawn.

"Hermione, don't move," he whispered.

She jerked back in shock, expecting him to hex her at any second.

"_Petrificus Totalis!_" Lucius shouted.

Hermione lay frozen for a brief moment, believing he had petrified her before she realized that she was fully capable of movement. Surely, he couldn't have missed at point-blank range. Snapping her own wand into her hand, she rolled to her side and turned on him with a snarl, "What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?"

He casually pointed with his wand to a spot just past the edge of her blanket where a large snake lay frozen in mid-strike. Hermione shrieked and scrambled backward as fast as she could, nearly knocking Lucius over as she hit his legs. She then leaped to her feet and spun around to huddle behind him, clutching at his shirt in a death grip as she tried to quell her whimpers.

"Hermione, calm down; he can't hurt you now that he's petrified," said Lucius calmly as he tried pull her from behind him.

She peeked out from behind him and drew back, shaking her head. "No, no, no... Send him away. Just send him away, please." She was clearly terrified.

"Do you want me to destroy him?" he asked quietly.

She paused for a moment, considering it, but she finally replied, "No, that isn't necessary. Please, just send him away."

"Very well." Lucius Levitated the snake to the other side of the stream and then released the spell.

Hermione collapse into a heap on the blanket. After taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she stated the obvious, "I don't like snakes."

"Really? I never would have guessed," he commented, poker faced. "As a Slytherin, I might take offense to such a strong reaction to my house symbol."

"It has nothing to do with silly house rivalries. And I haven't always had the phobia; it's just since—" Hermione's face took on a closed off look, as if she were suddenly very far away.

"Just since when?" Lucius asked quietly.

"I was in the Shrieking Shack, hiding in a secret passage, when I saw what Voldemort's snake did to Professor Snape. It was awful, just awful. So cruel and vicious. There was blood everywhere, so much blood." Hermione shuddered at the memory. "Ever since that day, I simply can't stand the sight of a snake." Even though the sun shone down warmly, she couldn't stop shivering after relating her memories.

Lucius reached into the picnic basket and extracted a napkin which he transfigured into a large blanket. "Here," he said gently as he knelt behind her. He wrapped it around her, but before he could move away, she leaned back into his embrace. He settled himself on the blanket behind her and enclosed his arms around her as well.

It took several minutes before her shaking calmed. He made no move to release her; he said nothing, but just continued to hold her. Finally, Hermione turned in his embrace as she brushed her hand against his. Looking over her shoulder and up into his eyes, she said softly, "Thank you."

"You are welcome. I could hardly allow you to be bitten by a snake, could I? No one would ever believe I hadn't somehow arranged it."

She smiled a crooked little smile. "I wasn't referring to the snake, but thanks for that as well."

His brow wrinkled and he looked puzzled. "If not the snake, then what are you thanking me for?"

"For comforting me, for not laughing at my fears. I know it's not rational. Clearly, in that condition, that snake couldn't harm me, but I was still terrified of it. I can't help it," she admitted in a low voice, looking embarrassed for showing her weakness.

"Don't be embarrassed. I have a good friend who doesn't like snakes either. We all have our triggers."

She knew she shouldn't ask because he wouldn't tell her, but she asked anyway. "Do you?"

He opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it with a shake of his head.

"It's all right; you don't have to tell me, Lucius. I really didn't expect you to. It's a very personal thing."

She started to pull away from his embrace, but before she could move, he pulled her back snug against him so she couldn't see his face as he spoke. "I don't like the dark or crawly things. As a boy, my father used those things to punish me. He would lock me in the cellar, or a closet with no light, and I swear I could feel things crawling on me. He'd leave me there until I begged him to let me out. He claimed that forcing me to face my fears would make a man of me."

"Mother of Merlin! What an awful thing to do to a child!" exclaimed Hermione, horrified for the frightened little boy he'd been. "I'm sorry you had to endure that, Lucius, and from someone who was supposed to love you and protect you."

He took a deep breath, then he pushed himself up to his feet. "I've never willingly told anyone else those things, but, now that I've told you, it feels rather freeing, actually," he admitted. "Come now, the afternoon's nearly gone. Let's gather your things before Fifi sends out a search party for you."

Climbing to her knees, Hermione reached for her sketchbook at the same time as Lucius then groaned and tried to close the cover before he could see the page.

"Too late," he drawled with an evil smirk on his lips. "I've already seen the whole thing while you were sleeping. It seems that you had quite a good, long look this morning from your bedroom window. Were you taking notes?" The smirk changed to a rather flirtatious smile as he added with a wink, "Did you like what you saw? "

"Evil Slytherin," she muttered darkly with a frown on her face.

"Why, yes, I am. And quite proud of it," he admitted. "I'd be willing to forget I ever saw the naked pictures you drew of me... for a price."

"They weren't naked," she protested. "Everything was hidden by the shower stall."

"Ah, but I'd wager you are wishing now that everything hadn't been hidden, aren't you, _ma ch__érie_?" he asked as he hooked two fingertips under her chin, forcing her to look up directly into his eyes.

Hermione tried to pull away, but he wouldn't allow it. The only way to escape his gaze was to lower her eyes; her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she blushed hotly. "What is it you want in order to forget you ever saw those sketches?"

"Two things," he said. "One: you will not destroy any of them, especially not the ones you drew of me. And two: I want the drawing of the chateau."

That was certainly not what she had expected. She'd been sure he was going to demand that she release Draco from his supposed life debt, or that she leave his home and never return, or that she give up the crazy idea to convince Julius Sebastian to take her on as his apprentice. She certainly hadn't expected him to request one of her drawings.

"Why?" she asked bluntly, glaring at him like a petulant child.

"Why? Because I like it, that's why. I want to frame it and hang it in my study."

"Are you teasing me or something?" she asked disbelievingly, a scowl on her face.

"No, why on earth would you think that?" Lucius responded, looking a bit puzzled at her question.

"Because they certainly aren't professional quality. They're just dribs and drabs of things I've scratched out on paper, certainly not something anyone would want to frame and hang on a wall."

"I disagree. I liked what I saw, and I want the one of the chateau. You have a good eye, and if I'm correct in my assumption that you've apparently never taken any formal training, then you obviously have a natural talent."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "And you're sure you aren't having me on?"

Lucius laughed outright at her skepticism. "I assure you, Hermione, that I'm not joking with you. I want that sketch, and in return, I'll forget about the others and never mention them to anyone else," he said as he shrunk her books, the sketches, and the blanket, placing them in the picnic basket before shrinking that as well.

"That is, of course unless you'd like me to pose for you. Willingly this time," he added, turning to watch her closely to observe her reaction.

Hermione's face flamed as she envisioned him in all his naked glory, sprawled before her. Knowing he was purposely trying to elicit a reaction, and unable to control her blush, she decided to ignore it and tease him back in kind. "Be very careful what you offer to me, _mon __ch__é__ri__,_" she drawled, throwing his endearment of earlier back at him. "I may just take you up on it."

His eyes widened at her statement. "Promises, promises..." Before she could react, he pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her, and he Apparated them both back to the chateau.

* * *

Hermione gasped as they landed in the courtyard in the front of the house; she hated Side-Along Apparition. Clearly aggravated, she grabbed the shrunken picnic basket from his hand, returned it to it's original size and removed her things, before shoving the basket back at him.

"You might give some warning before you just grab a girl and Side-Along her away, Lucius. I don't like it," she stated in a huff. "Besides, I thought there were anti-Appparition wards on the grounds around the chateau."

He smiled smugly at her irritation as he opened the door and allowed her to precede him into the house. "There are, but of course, they don't apply to me. Or Draco, for that matter, and actually, Julius has been included in them as well," he replied. "I might, in fact, be persuaded to add you to the wards, given the right incentive," he said in a suggestive tone.

Narrowing her eyes, Hermione took a step away from him. "No, thank you, Lucius. I'd much rather walk. The scenery is beautiful, and it's good exercise."

He watched her go up the stairs, her hips swaying enticingly. At the top, Hermione glanced back over her shoulder to see him watching her intently. It seemed she must have recovered from her little snit because she broke down and graced him with a shy smile and a quick wink before she sauntered off down the hallway.

_What a cheeky little thing she is... I rather like it..._ he mused. It was definitely time to rethink his strategy of ignoring her. It just might be more entertaining to engage the witch and see just how many buttons he could push.

That evening, Lucius was already in the dining room when she entered. She hesitated briefly in the doorway when she noted his presence, obviously surprised to see him there. She turned away and marched over to the spot half way down the table, that had been designated as hers, only to find it empty. Looking baffled for a moment, she glanced around to find her place setting to the right-hand side of Lucius', his spot being at the head of the table.

"New seating arrangement, Lucius?" she asked pointedly.

He had the grace to flush a bit before standing to pull out her chair. "My apologies, ma chérie, I do admit I was being a bit of an arse. I was hoping before that if I ignored you long enough, you might go away."

"And now?" she asked. "Are you still hoping for the same outcome?"

"Quite the contrary, my dear. I do believe I'd find myself disappointed if you were to go away now."

"Hmmff," she huffed as she sat down in the chair he proffered. "Lucky for you then that I have no intention of doing so."

Things were a little awkward at first, but before long they were chatting easily. Lucius was pleased to find that he enjoyed the time spent in the witch's company, much more than he had expected to. They shared some lively conversation, a hot debate or two, and fair bit of flirting. In his opinion, the evening was a smashing success

The next few weeks passed in much the same manner. Things did not suddenly change to where they spent all of their time in each other's pockets. He still rose early to work in the fields and vineyards with the vintner-elves, nurturing the new seedlings and seeing to the more mature vines. She slept in and spent her time working on some project she had been using his library to research. So, they very rarely saw each other at breakfast, but they did somehow manage to end up together for luncheon or a picnic at least three times a week, and they shared all of their evenings.

* * *

Although they had built up considerable rapport, Hermione was still no closer to a real solution as to how to convince Lucius that his destiny lay back in England at Malfoy Manor. She knew that was what Draco wanted for his father, but Hermione was unconvinced that it would be the best thing for Lucius in the long run. He seemed perfectly content here at the chateau, and she didn't believe that tricking him into returning to his former life was the recipe for his happiness. Still, if she didn't somehow figure out a way to make it happen, she had no chance of getting that Potions apprenticeship.

Hermione was in a quandary. She had begun to wonder if there was really any point in pursuing a double mastery at all. If she gave it up, it would certainly solve a lot of her problems. She loved Arithmancy, and she was good at it. And while she had always enjoyed the challenge of Potions, she knew in the back of her mind that the real reason she had chosen to pursue it was to somehow honor Professor Snape's memory. As if by carrying on his work, it would make up for the awful way his life had ended in the Shrieking Shack, or it would somehow assuage her guilt for leaving him there without even making a token attempt to help him.

And speaking of guilt, there was plenty of it to go around, it seemed, as just after lunch, she had recalled it was her mother's birthday. She had sent a note down to Lucius to say that she wouldn't be joining him tonight, as she wasn't feeling well. But the truth of the matter was she had fallen into a fit of melancholy so dark she wanted nothing more than to be alone and stew in her pit of self-pity.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Lucius was not content to let it be. There was a knock on her door.

"Hermione? Are you ill? Should I call a Healer?" asked Lucius, actually sounding worried.

"Go away, Lucius. I'm fine, or at least I am not ill. I am not fit company tonight. Just go away and leave me alone," she snapped waspishly.

"Not fit company, why? Open this bloody door! I refuse to talk to you through a slab of oak."

She sighed. "Just go away, Lucius. I'll be better tomorrow, I'm sure."

"Hermione, open the door now, or I swear to Salazar, I will blast the damn thing off its hinges," he demanded.

"Oh, for Circe's sake... fine then." She flicked her wand at the door, and it swung open. "There. Are you happy now?"

He stood outside the doorway and looked in. "Why are you sitting here in the dark?"

Remembering his aversion to the dark, she snapped her fingers and wandlessly lit a few candles. "I'm currently wallowing, and it's always more effective to wallow in the dark," she snapped sarcastically as she plopped down in the window seat.

He snorted as he walked in and Levitated a wing chair from beside the fireplace to sit near her. "And you are wallowing... Why was it again?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm sad. It's my mum's birthday today."

"Ahhh... I see. And you miss her, I take it. Why not just pop in to see her for a visit if it will ease your mind?"

Herimone shook her head, her lips in a grim line. "I can't. It's not that easy, there are... complications."

"What sort of complications?" he asked, puzzled. "Surely, you can take a few days away from your research project."

"Research?" _Lucius couldn't know about my research to find a way to get into his good graces. Oh wait... he's talking about the fake research project that Draco told him I was working on, _she thought.

Hermione scrubbed at her face and mumbled, "Too many lies."

"What's that?"

"Never mind that. Look, I'm a horrible person who's done horrible things."

Now Lucius rolled his eyes. "Hermione, I'm sure what you consider horrible things are like fluffy bunnies and butterflies compared to my history of horrible."

She shook her head. "That's like comparing Kneazles to Crups. Look, the reason I can't just pop in to wish my mum a 'happy birthday' is because the woman in Australia who used to be my mum now has no idea whatsoever that I'm her daughter. In fact, _her_ birthday is in November, or at least, that's what it says on the identity card I had created for her."

Lucius brow wrinkled as he considered her statement. "I've heard a bit of the background concerning your efforts to protect your family. But Draco recently told me that you had been living in Australia to be near your parents, so I'd assumed all was right between you."

Hermione slumped down in her seat. "That's what I let everyone believe. The truth of the matter is I knew the spell was irreversible when I cast it, but I did it anyway. Still, I had hoped perhaps a Charms master might find a way to reverse it, so after I had finished my NEWTs, I begged Professor Flitwick to help me. We traveled to Australia and found my parents, but Filius determined that any attempt would most likely scramble their memories and damage their minds permanently. I couldn't take that risk."

Lucius stared her silently for a moment. "Yet you stayed in Australia anyway. Why?"

She snorted in response. "Because there was really nothing for me back in England, was there? No Muggle relatives at all. I'd broken it off with Ron, the lying, cheating, man-slut. My friendship with Harry was over too, because he'd lied straight to my face to cover for the aforementioned man-slut, and then afterward, he actually had the balls to tell me that he'd only done it to protect me from being hurt—the bloody wanker."

"Indeed," commented Lucius, his lips curled in distaste at the thought of the Dunderheaded Duo.

"Then I somehow decided that if I couldn't get my parents back, I could at least have them as friends. So, I came up with this mad, stalkerish plot, and I moved into their neighborhood. I rented the house directly behind theirs; our back gardens abutted. Mum... errr... that is to say, Monica actually brought over a casserole when I moved in. We chatted, and she introduced me to my dad, only now he's Wendell. It was all very, very bizarre."

"Hmmm... yes," Lucius said as he nodded. "I can see how it would be."

Hermione sighed deeply. "I thought being able to be around them would be enough for me. And for a while, I guess it was. But eventually, it just hurt too much. I wanted them to be my parents again, and they could never be that, thanks to what I'd done. They were just two lovely people whom I'd befriended. Ultimately, it hurt too much to be with them. A couple of years ago, I told them I was going to uni in Perth, and I moved away. Now, about the only contact we have is an occasional letter or Christmas card."

Hermione looked up a Lucius. He didn't say anything at first, he just studied her closely. "The guilt is just eating you up, isn't it?"

She nodded as she bit her lip and tried to blink back the moisture gathering in her eyes. But she lost the battle, as a single tear slipped down her cheek.

Lucius leaned forward and wiped the tear away with his thumb, caressing her cheek. "Believe me, I know something of guilt. If it brings you any peace of mind at all, I can tell you for a fact that what you did saved their lives. There is absolutely no doubt that they were targets of the Dark Lord. You should take comfort in knowing that at least they will be able to live out their lives together because of the decision you made that day."

Hermione choked back a sob. "Thank you, Lucius. Thank you so much for telling me that." She grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek, then turned to press a kiss into his palm.

Lucius slid from his chair to the window seat. "Budge over, sweet." He pushed a cushion behind his back, stretched his long legs beside hers, and pulled her over to lay her head on his chest. He just held her, and it felt so good.

With his arms wrapped around her, Hermione couldn't help but wonder at the fact that she felt safer than she had in years, and it was lying in the arms of Lucius Malfoy. How ironic was that?

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**AN**: This story was originally posted at the LJ comm: lm_hgficxchange, for the 2012 exchange. Many thanks go to my wonderful beta: clairvoyant12 and to my alpha reader and Brit Picker: talesofsnape. Please note: any mistakes are my own, I do admit to 'tweaking' things a bit even after the beta work was done. And special thanks to blueartemis07 for the lovely prompt.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I make no money here.

* * *

Hermione awoke the next morning in her own bed and in the midst of another hot, sexy, erotic dream. This one involved the resident lord of the manor, _of course_, along with a shower stall and lots and lots of wet, slippery skin. When she was finally fully awake, she looked quickly to the window seat, recalling that she had fallen asleep there in Lucius' arms. She vaguely remembered that he had carried her to bed and left her there with a chaste kiss on her forehead.

She was confused by him. It felt like she was getting mixed signals, and she didn't want misinterpret anything and make a fool of herself. His actions seemed to blow hot and cold. Sometimes the things he said and did were extremely flirty and suggestive, and at other times, it felt as though he were trying to push her away and put distance between them. Maybe he was playing hard to get, she speculated, but it was also possible that he was merely toying with her.

To complicate matters even further, there was this whole plot Draco had concocted. Although his son seemed to think that was what it would take to restore Lucius' life to normal, Hermione was beginning to believe that Draco actually had no clue what would make his father happy. Yet how could he not know? He must have spent time here during his apprenticeship with Mr. Sebastian. Couldn't he see how involved Lucius was in running the chateau and restoring the vineyards?

Hermione wandered over to the window seat and propped her elbow on the sill, her chin resting in her hand, as she stared at the landscape beyond. She had to figure out a way to make it all work. Even though she'd toyed with the idea of abandoning her plans to attain a mastery in Potions, it was something she had dreamed of for so long, and she just couldn't just let it go without a fight. She simply couldn't see how Draco's mad scheme was going to work. Hermione sat deep in thought for several minutes, ideas swirling madly inside her head.

_I wonder exactly what this favor is that Draco's holding over the Potion master's head? And how do I even know he can come through, if by some miracle I am able to complete the plan? He couldn't even secure his own place; by his own admission he needed Lucius' influence... Sweet mother of Merlin! I've been backing the wrong Malfoy! Lucius is the only one who has any real hope of getting me that apprenticeship. _Hermione recalled her final conversation with Draco._ Hmmm... what if...?_

"I need a new plan of action," whispered Hermione, pushing herself up from the seat and heading downstairs—more research was in order.

Hermione spent the remainder of the morning and part of the afternoon running various Arithmantic equations based on a number of different scenarios. In the end, she chose the plan that had the highest likelihood of success. Hermione figured it was a bit of a gamble, but her chances were much better than going with Draco's original plan. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too upset that she was abandoning it. She would just have to convince him it was better if Lucius stayed at the chateau. After all, his ultimate goal was his father's happiness.

Lucius was not present for lunch, but he often spent late afternoons in his study, taking care of the more mundane tasks of paperwork and correspondence. Hermione asked Fifi to inform her if he did so today.

* * *

The study door was slightly ajar, but Hermione knocked firmly on it anyway to announce her presence. Lucius looked up from the ledgers he was working on, a bit surprised to see her. After all the drama of the evening before, he'd expected her to avoid his company today. "Hello, Hermione, is there something you need?"

"Yes, actually, I have some things I need to ask you and..." She hesitated. She seemed bit flustered and unsure how to proceed. "I have a confession as well."

He closed the ledgers and set them aside. Leaning back in his chair, he waved his wand and a chair slid in front of his desk for her; he gestured toward it, indicating that she should have a seat. He observed her discreetly as she approached, her eyes lowered and her brow wrinkled as if she were deep in thought.

She sat in the chair and took a minute to compose her thoughts before she looked up at him. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm very sure I already know the answer to this, but I have to ask you anyway."

_Aha... She's finally figured it out. Just what I've been waiting for, _he thought smugly.

"Lucius, would you ever, under any circumstances, consider the possibility of returning to England—to Malfoy Manor—and taking up your former place in society there?"

_What!_ This was not at all what he had expected. He had thought she was going to offer to release Draco's life debt in return for his influence with Julius, or that she might try to bribe him in some other way for the favor.

With a frown, he steepled his fingers and tapped them against his lips as he considered her question. After considerable thought, he finally responded. "Honestly, no. Never in a thousand years. And since you revealed secrets of your past to me last night, I will tell one of mine. Then you will understand."

Hermione looked surprised by this revelation, but was clearly eager to hear his tale as she leaned forward to listen attentively.

"The man who owned this estate—you may have heard me refer to him as my grand-pére—was in reality my great-grandfather, Claude. He was a younger son and quite content in his life here with his wife Louisa. He enjoyed practicing the more elemental forms magic. Those old ways have fallen out of favor nowadays.

"Then his brother died, and the entire Malfoy fortune came to Claude, but wonder of wonders, he didn't want it. He was happy living here at the chateau and working the vineyards and making wine. His real dream was to recruit a clan of vintner-elves back to the chateau in order transform the wine that was bottled under the Chateau de Malfoy label into that wondrous elixir, elf-made wine.

"So, Claude opted to step aside and allow the bulk of the estate to go to his son, my grandfather, Augustus. From what I've heard, he, and in turn, my father, Abraxas, were as different from Claude as night and day. They both lusted for the power and influence that the Malfoy fortunes could afford them."

Lucius paused here and arose from his desk to look out through the French doors at the hills and vineyards beyond. His thoughts were very far away. He was returned to the present when he heard Hermione delicately clear her throat.

"Lucius, you needn't go on with this. These memories are clearly painful to you."

"As were yours of your parents," he responded solemnly. "I would like to continue.

"My mother died when I was young, and I spent a lot of time here at the chateau with Claude and Louisa. I loved it; it was my favorite place on earth. As a boy, I promised Grand-pére that I would honor the old ways he had taught me and that someday when I grew up I would restore the Malfoy vineyards to their former glory, vintner-elves and all. But as I grew older, my interest in an old man's dream faded away, and like many young men, the one thing I craved the most was my father's approval.

"Augustus had been a follower of Gellert Grindelwald, and he paid the ultimate price. He died during the battle in which Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore. Afterward, the Malfoy family lost a good portion of their fortune as well as prestige in wizarding society. My father later sought to restore that by following yet another Dark Wizard in his rise to power. In an attempt to gain my father's esteem, on my eighteenth birthday, I agreed to this—", Lucius said as he pulled up his sleeve, revealing his Dark Mark, now faded but still easily recognizable. "It was unequivocally the worst mistake of my entire life. Within days, Grand-pére was dead, and I was convinced that it was because of me. That having heard of what I'd done, he died of a broken heart."

Lucius had paced behind his desk during the telling of this final part. He placed both hands on his desk and, leaning forward, stared straight at her as he said, "So, in answer to your earlier question, Hermione: No, I have no desire whatsoever to return to England. My home is here at the chateau, and it always will be." He slumped down into his leather desk chair as if he were exhausted.

* * *

Hermione sat in silence for a moment, analyzing everything that Lucius had just revealed to her. It actually gave her a good deal of insight into a man whom she, at one time, had considered to be the epitome of pure evil. It was a good lesson to her not to be so judgmental and to realize that things were never strictly black and white.

She rose from her seat and circled his desk. Laying her hand on his shoulder, she said, "Lucius, I know you feel guilty, as if you are somehow responsible for Claude's death. But, chéri, by that time, he must have been ancient. Your actions had nothing to do with his death. You were a young man who made a foolish choice, as young men often do, and you spent the next twenty-five years paying for it." When he didn't respond, she crouched at his side and slid her hand down his arm until it rested directly over the Mark. Hermione tilted her head until she managed to catch Lucius' beautiful silver-grey eyes. "By your own admission, it was a horrible mistake, but this Mark does not define who you are. How you live the rest of your life does that. You are fulfilling the promises you made to your grand-pére, and I'm sure he would be very proud of the man you are now."

He rose to his feet, pulling her up to a stand before him. With their gazes locked, Lucius slid his hands to frame her face; his thumbs caressed her cheeks. "How did someone so young become so wise?"

"I don't think I was ever young, even as a child; I must have been born with an old soul. Besides, I'm not all _that _young, Lucius, I'll be twenty-seven this year."

"_Twenty-seven? _Oh, my. You're practically in your dotage," he teased.

He leaned closer, his lips inches from hers. Hermione's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes started to drift shut as she leaned forward.

Suddenly, there was a soft 'pop' as Fifi Apparated into the room. "Dinner is ready, Master and Missy," she announced, and she promptly popped out again, just as quickly.

Hermione started and jumped away from Lucius as if she'd been burned. As she turned to leave the room, she could swear she heard him mutter something about 'blasted elves have the worst fucking timing in the world!' Sadly, she couldn't help but agree with him.

* * *

Dinner was an awkward affair that night. Conversation was slow, and there were many long empty gaps. The only thing that made it even remotely bearable was the fact that the wine flowed freely. Hermione was a bit tipsy when she stood to go up to her room.

Lucius bade her good night, but then, obviously having second thoughts, he caught up to her before she could ascend the stairs. "Hermione, wait," he said. His hand closed around her elbow, and he steered her into the library. "We need to talk."

Pulling out of his grasp, Hermione objected,"Lucius, I'm tired. Couldn't we do this tomorrow?"

Ignoring her request, he forged ahead. "Earlier in the study, you said you had something to ask me and a confession to make. I want to know what you meant."

Hermione flushed hotly. She stood and wandered away from him, stalling for time. Her eyes strayed over the books on the shelf as she idly ran a finger over the titles. She'd devised an elaborate plot earlier to get what she wanted, but after that little scene in his study, she wasn't sure her original plan was the way to go. She wished that she had time to run a few more Arithmantic formulae. She was sure he had been going to kiss her, and depending on the outcome of that kiss, she could have been well on her way to getting one of the things right up there at the top of her list: Lucius in her bed, or she in his, or in his shower, or on his desk, or just about anywhere else she could imagine.

When she'd first realized that she was attracted to Lucius, that she wanted him, she'd been convinced that he would never consider any sort of relationship with her. But she'd had the epiphany that he was her key to the apprenticeship, and she'd hit upon an idea. If Lucius believed that he were manipulating her, in his typical Slytherin fashion, into accepting his help in exchange for sex, then she could have exactly what she wanted most: her apprenticeship and the sexy blond wizard in her bed.

But that near kiss earlier confused her. Perhaps she could have him under normal circumstances, without the all of the complicated machinations. Then again, she wasn't sure, and she didn't have the time to redo her work. Lucius had been sending her mixed signals all along; he might just do a complete turn around, and then where would she be? She decided her best bet was to stick with her original plan, she turned and walked back to where he sat watching her like a hawk. She slid an ottoman up so she could sit directly in front of him, practically knee to knee. "I do have a confession. I am here under false pretenses."

His brow furrowed. "I need more information than that, Hermione."

With a sigh, she nodded and continued, "Draco does not owe me a life debt. Or at least, I claim none from him, although he thinks he does. Shit. I'm confusing myself." She paused for a moment to order her thoughts. "There is no life debt, and there is no research project. Thus, I am here under false pretenses."

"So, you aren't seeking a Potions apprenticeship with Julius?"

"Oh, no. That part, at least, is true."

"Hermione, now you are confusing me. Start at the beginning," he commanded.

She quickly went through the whole back story before concluding. "So, Draco told me that Mr. Sebastian owed him some kind of favor. He wasn't specific as to what it was, but he indicated that it was enough to secure my apprenticeship. Of course, he wanted something in return."

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust. "At first, I thought he was going to ask me for sex, and I was horrified."

Lucius grimaced as if he were not too fond of the idea either, but then he asked, "You do not find my son attractive?"

"Oh, no. He's very attractive. It obviously runs in the family." Hermione smiled as Lucius preened at her comment. "But in our last year at Hogwarts, Draco and I actually became rather good friends. It would have been like shagging my brother." She shook her head with a shudder. "But then, he explained that he has a girlfriend who would not appreciate that scenario."

Lucius, nodded in agreement. "Ah, yes. The lovely Miss Lovegood."

Hermione's mouth fell open in shock. "Luna? But I thought Luna was still with Neville."

Lucius' right eyebrow quirked up. "And so she is. I am equally sure Mr. Longbottom would not have appreciated that scenario any more than she would have. "

"What! Luna and Neville and Draco? All three of them?" she gasped.

Lucius nodded, amused by her reaction.

But then, Hermione got a dreamy smile on her face as she mumbled to herself, "Oh, my good Godric! Luna, you lucky, lucky, girl!"

Lucius' amused smirk was wiped from his face, and his right eyebrow nearly quirked through his hairline at Hermione's muttered comment. Apparently, although Hermione wouldn't want to shag Draco herself, she had no qualms whatsoever about imagining her friend as the filling in a Draco-Neville sandwich.

Hermione brought herself back to reality with a little shake and continued her explanation. "So, Draco came up with this crazy plan to get you back to England. For some reason, he thinks you are languishing here, miserable, and wallowing in self-pity. He believes the key to your true happiness lies in your return to Malfoy Manor and in resuming your place in wizarding society. And somehow, I was supposed to deliver this as a condition of fulfilling the bargain."

Hermione plucked nervously at a thread along the corner of the ottoman. Looking up at Lucius, she concluded, "Clearly, that is not going to happen. And truthfully, I'd never want it too. It's obvious how much you belong here; I don't know what Draco was thinking."

"I will be having a discussion with my son when next we meet, to set him straight on this matter," said Lucius seriously.

"Yes, it's probably a good idea to have that talk," agreed Hermione. She sighed heavily and said, "Well, there's no sense in delaying it, is there? I guess I should go upstairs and pack my things."

She rose from the ottoman and was halfway to the door before Lucius reacted to what she had said. She'd just begun to feel very sad and dejected, thinking that she had gambled and lost when he showed no reaction. _He's probably glad to see the back of me,_ she was telling herself when suddenly there he was next to her.

He spun her around, practically pinning her to the door, invading her personal space. "Hermione, what the hell does that mean? Why are you going upstairs to pack your bags?" he said in such a low, hard voice it sent shivers through her.

"There isn't any reason for me to be here, Lucius," she explained patiently. "I can't presume to stay and take advantage of your hospitality any longer. I lied to you about my purpose for being here in the first place. I can't fulfill Draco's demand. I have no means of convincing this Mr. Sebastian to offer me a position. I will have to leave."

"Where will you go?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll go back to Australia. I'll have to wait until one of the other apprenticeships opens up and hope they'll still be willing to take me on."

Lucius stood very close, but not quite touching her. Looking directly into his eyes, she realized if she hadn't come to know him as well as she had over these weeks, she would find him very intimidating. He tore his gaze away and half turned away from her. Hermione's heart plummeted all the way to her shoes. _No! Oh, no! He's really going to let me just walk away! Damn it all! _Blinking hard to try to keep the moisture in her eyes from gathering, she tried to step away. Before she could move an inch, he was there again. His hands slammed against door on either side of her head, imprisoning her.

"But, you do still want the apprenticeship with Julius, correct?" he asked, staring at her intently.

She nodded dumbly. Finally, tearing her eyes from his, she wondered for the first time if he had any talent at Legilimency. _Shit, I should have thought of that before, _she scolded herself.

"Perhaps _I _could help you. He is indebted to me for very many things. I'm sure if I discussed your situation with him, explained your dire circumstances, he would be reasonable," Lucius said softly, so close she could feel his breath caressing her skin.

Hermione raised her eyes to him once more. "And you'd actually do that for me? Out of the goodness of your heart?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Oh, my goodness, no. Surely, you must know by now, my dear girl, that a Slytherin never does anything out of the goodness of his little black heart. There is always a price to be paid."

"What—," she gasped, her heart pounding so hard she thought surely he must hear it. "What is it you want in return? I have nothing to offer you."

"Nothing?" he asked, inching closer. "I'm certain you must have something to offer," he whispered near her ear. His lips grazed her left earlobe and she shuddered, hard.

"I'm... I'm a very good Arithmancer," she mumured. "Do you have need for the services of an Arithmancer?"

Lucius chuckled softly, the sound sending shivers down her spine. "Sorry, no. I'm actually quite good at Arithmancy myself. Is there nothing else?" His lips had migrated to her right ear, and he suckled that lobe just a tiny bit.

She moaned. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she snapped at him, "Oh, Lucius, for fuck's sake, just spell it out for me."

"I want you," was all he said as his mouth descended to capture hers. Only their mouths touched. His lips slid over hers, his tongue teasing at first, then boldly slipping inside. Withdrawing, he tilted his head to trace the tip of his tongue along her jaw line to the left ear, where he sucked on the earlobe he had merely teased before.

Her hands locked over his wrists, which were still just above her shoulders, his hands planted firmly against the door. "Lucius, wait—!" she panted. "Stop—! There's a problem. I have some issues here."

He stilled, and in an instant, his countenance grew frigid. Then he spoke stiffly, "I beg your pardon, if I've offended you." Just like before, he blew hot and cold.

_There is clearly something going on. What is his problem? _she wondered.

He would have pulled away, but her arms wrapped around his waist jerking him up flush against her, holding him tightly. "Release me, Miss Granger," he snapped angrily.

"Miss Granger? You just had your tongue in my mouth, and we're suddenly back to Miss Granger? We haven't been there since day one. What the fuck is going on in that twisty-turny Slytherin rattletrap of a brain of yours, Mr. Malfoy?"

He looked away, shaking his head. "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm old enough to be your father."

_Was that why he kept pulling back? Because he's afraid I'll think he is too old for me?_ Before he could withdraw any further, she struck. "True, perhaps, but you aren't. I know my father, and he's not you; he's some guy in Brisbane named Wendell." He didn't laugh at her attempt at a joke. She twisted her head around, finally getting him to look at her. "Lucius, you _are_ theoretically old enough to be my father, but in actuality, you're also young enough to be my lover. That wasn't why I stopped you. Dear lord, if you were any sexier, I'd have melted into a puddle of lust right here on your library floor. I'm practically there already."

"What is the problem, then?" he asked stiffly, but his body was loosening up a little. One hand slid to rest on her shoulder, his thumb caressing over her collar bone. His other hand splayed at her waist, that thumb dangerously close to the underside of her breast.

"Lucius, I was serious when I asked you to spell it out. I need to know the parameters of this... this... whatever this is going to be. First off, I need to know that you can actually provide what you claim, that you are positive that your friend will agree to work with me."

"Do you want a wand oath?" he grumbled.

"No, I just need your word; surprisingly enough, I trust you. But I also need to know exactly what this entails. Is it for a day, a week, a month? One time, ten, a thousand? Do you expect me to be at your beck and call at all times? What if you want me to do things I don't want to to do?"

With a groan, he relaxed visibly. "Hermione, you think too much."

"Lucius, please, these things are important. I don't want there to be any misunderstanding later on."

He raised his eyes toward the ceiling, as if begging for help from above. Then he dropped his eyes to hers and said with a sigh, "Very well, then. Come. We will negotiate your terms."

* * *

Instead of leading her to the desk, he returned to the couch where they had been sitting before. He sat first and then propped his legs up on the ottoman. She looked down at him quizzically, but he merely indicated that she should sit in his lap. When she shrugged and attempted to do so, he directed her to straddle his legs instead, facing him. "I want to see your face as we parlay. Agreed?"

"All right," Hermione nodded in agreement. She rested her hands on his shoulders.

Lucius now had her precisely where he wanted her, both literally and figuratively. Although Hermione did seem to be attracted to him, Lucius doubted she would ever agree to become his lover without some type of coercion. But, if she believed the price of his influence was her acceptance of his demands, perhaps she would give in to him. He cared little for her 'terms,' as he was more than willing to give her anything she wanted, as long as he could have her. Still, if it gave her some sense of control over the situation, he was willing to humor her. He decided he might as well have a little fun with it as well.

"Good. First, every time we resolve a term, I get to kiss you for a full minute. Agreed?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, and her lips puckered and twisted to the side. "You're making a joke of this."

"Untrue. I totally plan to follow this through until all of our terms have been banged out."

She gave him a look at the double entendre. "Hermione, I'm absolutely serious. Now do you agree to my first term?"

"Yes, very well, I do."

He promptly pulled her forward and proceeded to kiss her soundly. Hermione had the presence of mind to have her wand chime when the minute was up. He gave her a look, but moved on. "I give you my word that I will convince Julius to grant you an apprenticeship. If for some unknown, impossible reason he refuses, I swear that I will find and hire for you an alternate Potions master who must first meet your approval. Is this an agreeable term?" At her nod, he kissed her again.

When they came up for air, they both stared dumbly at each other's mouths and nearly started kissing again until Hermione recalled what they were supposed to be doing. "Oh yes, duration. How long is this arrangement to be for?"

Lucius considered briefly, then proposed, "How about this? A Potions apprenticeship generally lasts for two years, correct?" She nodded, and he continued, "Then I propose we plan our liaison to be from now through those two years. After that, we shall see what happens."

"Two years! That sounds like a rather long time. What if it turns out you aren't happy with my umm... errr... performance in this area? You might not want to be tied into it for that long."

He frowned at her comment. "You're nearly half my age, and you are worried that _I_ won't be satisfied with _your_ performance? My dear, I assure you there is very little chance of that happening."

Hermione blushed. "I'm worried that I'll seem boring to you. I'm certainly no virgin, but my experience is somewhat limited."

Cocking his head to one side, he considered her. "How limited?" When she didn't respond right away, he probed. "One lover... ten... twenty-five?"

She groaned. "You see, this is what I meant. If you consider twenty-five past partners to be 'somewhat limited,' you and I are in two totally different leagues."

"Hermione, I am just trying to determine a baseline, so to speak." Her blush extended from her face down her neck and he couldn't help but wonder just how far down it went. Realizing that his scrutiny was most likely making her nervous, he pulled her forward to rest her head on his shoulder. "There now. You need not think I am observing your every reaction. Just tell me what you want me to know. I'll ask no further."

Taking a deep breath, she proceeded. "Six in seven years. But three of those were one-offs."

His eyebrow spiked at this information, only six lovers, _ever_. He was rather glad she couldn't see his reaction.

"One-offs?"

"Ummm... You know, just one time. Three, awful, extraordinarily boring one-night stands. They were all blokes I knew from my classes, or whatever. I was trying to recapture something from a previous relationship. But each one was worse than the one before. I guess I kept trying to prove to myself that the time before had been an anomaly. The last time was so bad I finally just gave up."

"Hmm... All right. So three bad one-night stands. And three long-term relationships."

"Errr... no, not exactly. I was with Ron for about six months after the war until I found out that he was shagging half of London while I was at Hogwarts. Then there were a couple months after Ron when I was with Dean Thomas. A rebound relationship for both of us, I guess, as he'd just broken up with someone as well. I'm afraid neither of us were very happy people at that point."

"So... two rather mediocre short-term relationships, and three bad one-night stands. What was the other like, if you don't mind my asking?" Not even realizing what he was doing, his hands stroked comfortingly up and down her back.

"Viktor," Hermione sighed. And it wasn't at all a sad sigh.

Lucius arms tightened briefly around her, and he felt a flash of something he hadn't felt for years. Jealousy. Trying to keep is voice neutral, he asked, "Viktor?"

"Ummm... Yes, Viktor Krum. We had dated briefly during the year of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. But then we continued a correspondence through the years. He visited near the end of my NEWT year. We went out a few times and renewed our acquaintance. He was wonderful. We were together until Filius and I left for Australia and then for a bit when we came back. I did return to England briefly to settle my affairs. He wanted me to stay with him, but I felt I needed to be near my parents. He had his Quidditch career, and after the disaster with Ron, I would never consider a long-distance relationship again. He visited me a few times, but we eventually drifted apart. Although, from time to time, we still occasionally get together."

Lucius pushed her back to a sitting position so he could see her face. "Hermione, I hardly think you have to worry about boring me. Did you enjoy what we were doing earlier?" She nodded as she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth.

_Dear lord, I want to suck on that lip and so many other parts of you myself._

Hermione moaned slightly, her pupils dilated, and she unconsciously rocked forward, her pelvis grinding deliciously against him. Lucius then realized he had spoken the thought aloud. "Then we will get along just smashingly. I guarantee it. I am fine with the full length of the apprenticeship. However, if it makes you feel better, we can agree to one year and renegotiate at that time. Even if you decide not to continue at that point, you will be allowed to complete the apprenticeship with no repercussions. Agreed."

She nodded. "Agreed."

"Thank the gods!" he swore as he claimed her lips.

As they broke apart again, he asked, "Are we done with the negotiations?"

"I have just a couple more issues," she replied. At his nod she continued, "What if you want me to do something I don't want to do?"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Exactly what sort of sexual practices do you imagine I engage in?"

"Well, obviously I don't know," she stated in a huff, "since we've already established that my experience is somewhat limited compared to yours. But I am very well read, and there are lots of things I've read about that I'm fairly sure I wouldn't care to do." The blush was back.

Lucius smiled slyly. "And I'll wager that a good many things you've read about you really would like to try. Isn't that true?"

Dropping her eyes, Hermione responded with a slight nod.

"Then let us resolve it in this manner: I will never force you to do something against your will. I may try to convince you at times to try something new, but ultimately, the decision is yours. If you say no to something, the answer is no."

Hermione breathed out heavily in relief. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And in return for being such a reasonable man, I request an extra reward."

"Of course. Anything you want."

"Anything?" Lucius shook his head and frowned slightly. "Dear Merlin, remind me never to let you negotiate for me. You'd give away the entire estate." His hands reached for the front of her shirt and began to undo her buttons. "Let me see your breasts."

"Lucius!" She tried to swat his hands away.

"No, this is my reward. You said anything, and I want your breasts. Now keep your hands down and let me." Her hands dropped away as she allowed him to open her shirt to reveal a lacy burgundy bra. Lucius fingered the front clasp as he murmured, "Umm... easy access. I like this." He flicked the clasp open and pushed the cups to the side, exposing her breasts.

"Ah... ma chérie... beautiful," he sighed. "Are we done with the terms now? I'm anxious to get started."

"One more thing on my agenda," Hermione replied. "But aren't you going to claim your kiss from the last term?" she asked coquettishly.

"Of course. Thank you for reminding me." Before she could lean down to offer her lips to him, Lucius pulled her forward and began to rain kisses upon her breasts.

"I never said the kisses were strictly for lips," he teased. Lightly, at first, he kissed all around her breasts. Then his tongue teased around her areola, causing her nipples to pucker into tight little nubs. He used his hands, first one and then the other, he cradled and caressed her breasts. He had just begun to suckle on her nipples when her wand chimed. Hermione whimpered in disappointment at the loss of his mouth upon her and, without thinking, tried to push her breasts back into his face.

He laughed out loud and scolded her. "No more. Not until we finish this blasted negotiation. You said there was one more term to agree upon. What is it?"

Hermione stared at him stupidly for a few seconds before her brain began to function. "Oh... Oh, yes. Last one. If we are going to enter in this liaison—as I believe you called it—and it looks as though we are, then we must both agree not to be involved with anyone else for the duration."

"Of course, Hermione," Lucius said immediately as he practically screamed internally, _Viktor Krum, you are history! _"Neither of us will engage with another partner unless we both agree."

"Wait, that isn't what I said," she objected, frowning at him.

"Basically it is. Neither of us will be with anyone else without the other's complete approval."

Her eyes flared with anger. "Lucius, while we are involved, I am never going to approve of you going off to fuck someone else," Hermione declared rather crudely.

"I would never expect that you would, ma chérie, nor would I agree to you doing so. I was actually thinking more along the lines of both of us approving if someone else were to join the two of us."

Hermione's mouth fell open, and the look on her face was pure shock. "What... errr... I... ummm..."

"You can't deny some interest. I saw your reaction when you learned about your friend, Luna, with my son and Neville. In fact, I think your exact words were that she was 'a lucky, lucky girl!'" responded Lucius.

"Yes, but... But they have all three known each other for a long time. They were friends first. Even my one-offs were guys I knew. I can't imagine ever doing something like that with a complete stranger." Hermione looked at him with huge frightened eyes. "Is this something you would expect, Lucius?"

He was immediately sorry for ever having brought it up. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her. Besides, she i_had/i_ seemed interested earlier, and in all honesty she hadn't actually ruled out the idea, merely stipulated 'not a stranger'. He gathered her in his arms and held her close, crushing her to his chest. "Hermione, remember the last term we agreed to? 'If you say no to something, the answer is no_._' That is an absolute, my dearest. I promise."

She hugged him tightly before lifting her head to look into his eyes. "All right."

"That's it then? We're done with the negotiations?" At her nod of assent, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally!"

Without another word, he Apparated them both upstairs to his room.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

AN: This story was originally posted at the LJ comm: lm_hgficxchange, for the 2012 exchange. It is complete in seven chapters. Many thanks go to my wonderful beta: clairvoyant12 and to my alpha reader and Brit Picker: talesofsnape. Please note: any mistakes are my own, I do admit to 'tweaking' things a bit even after the beta work was done. And special thanks to blueartemis07 for the lovely prompt.

Also in light of the recent activity on this archive of purges of M rated fics, please note that I do have my stories saved at other archives. Check my bio for the names of these sites.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I make no money here.

* * *

They landed in the middle of Lucius' bed, which to Hermione seemed large enough to accommodate them and a small army. The room itself was not as huge as she might have imagined, but it was quite clear that the man spared no expense in seeing to his personal comfort. Plush carpet, a large fireplace, and heavy comfortable furniture graced the room. The decor showed no signs of frills or frou-frou, so Hermione assumed that Lucius had either redecorated since his divorce or Narcissa had never bothered to spend much time here. The colors surprised, yet appealed to her, as well. No Slytherin greens or silvers, as one might expect, but soft earth tones with splashes of black and deep burgundy.

"Hellooo!" said Lucius, his tone telling her that he didn't appreciate being ignored. He was now standing beside the bed. "You're easily distracted aren't you, my sweet?" he asked, taking her hand and pulling her off the bed to stand next to him.

"Not normally," replied Hermione with a shy smile. "But then I'd never really imagined that I'd ever get to see the inside of Lucius Malfoy's boudoir. I have to check it out while I have the chance."

"Don't worry. You'll have plenty of chances. You can look your fill then. We have much more important things to do right now." Wrapping her in his arms, he pulled her close for a deep kiss.

Hermione pushed slightly away from Lucius as she slid her palms up his chest. "Let's see, where were we?" Hermione whispered. One hand rested on his shoulder and the other stroked his cheek, her thumb tracing over his lips. Lucius sucked the tip of her thumb into his mouth and then nipped it playfully. Hermione jumped in response to his bite and giggled loudly.

Hermione still had on her robes and shirt although they were both unbuttoned. Lucius began pulling at her clothing and tossing bits aside like a little boy opening a birthday present. "Off," he insisted enthusiastically. "Off with your clothes!"

Hermione laughed, feeling a bit like she had fallen through the looking glass, and began pulling at Lucius' clothing as well. Before long, they were both naked, and they fell upon the bed, stroking and touching each other while rolling around like a pair of gleeful puppies. Things had started to heat up when Lucius pulled away and inquired casually, "I assume you are protected?"

Hermione looked so shocked, and he groaned, knowing immediately what her answer was going to be. "No! Oh no, I hadn't given it a thought," she cried, throwing her hands over her face. "Shit! How could I not think of that? I don't trust the Contraceptive Charm by itself. Oh, Lucius, what are we going to do? I'm such an idiot!" she wailed.

"Shhh... Don't panic. There is a very well stocked potions storeroom right downstairs." He reached down to pull the sheet up to cover them both, and without any further warning to her, he called a house-elf. It was Fifi who popped in, looking extremely happy and not especially surprised to find Hermione in Lucius' arms. "Fifi, we are in need of a vial of Contraceptive Potion. Please go to Master Se... ah... Julius' storeroom and bring one back for us. Do you know where to look?" The little elf assured him she did as she hurried off to do her master's bidding.

"Lucius, how could you do that?" she whispered, embarrassed. "Now Fifi knows about us."

"Lucius chuckled. "My dear, trust me. The house-elves always know what the people they care for are doing. In all likelihood, Fifi has been secretly hoping for us to get together all along and will probably even take credit for it."

* * *

While waiting, Lucius stroked his hands over Hermione's body and teased her with his mouth, discovering several very sensitive areas on her neck. He made careful mental notes of all these trigger spots for future reference. She was soon lost to Lucius' ministrations, forgetting all about Fifi and being embarrassed. He knew just where to touch her to make her moan, and hearing her voice her passion pleased him to no end.

Before long there was a soft 'pop,' and a vial of potion appeared discreetly on the bedside cabinet. Lucius thumbed the cork out of the bottle and offered it to Hermione. Taking his wand, he cast the Contraceptive Charm too. Better safe than sorry.

"Now where were we?" asked Hermione coyly as she set the empty vial back on the nightstand and settled into Lucius' arms.

"Mmmm... right here, I think," he said, dropping a kiss between her breasts and then suckling at her nipples, first one then the other. "Or was it here?" His hand moved down to cup her mound, his middle finger insinuating itself between her nether lips to tease her most sensitive spot.

"No, I think maybe it was here," she said as her hand slid down his torso until she gripped his cock firmly. He gasped when her other hand then went even lower to finger his balls, rolling them in her palm before tugging them just a little roughly. He loved it. He groaned in pleasure as she stroked his length, finding a rhythm that soon threatened to set him off. Wanting to hold off until he'd given her at least one orgasm, he pushed her hands away.

"Hey, I wasn't done with that," she complained.

"Clearly, I'm not trying hard enough if you're still fully capable of rational thought," Lucius said, pulling back from her, sliding down her body to taste her.

He teased her mercilessly with his lips and tongue as he slid first one finger inside of her and then two, stroking her firmly, bringing her nearly to the brink, then calming her, pausing before he started again. He did this several times until she was nearly incoherent with lust, begging him for release. Her body undulated against him, and he placed his arm across her hips to hold her in place. As he continued pumping his fingers in and out of her body, his lips closed over her clit, his tongue flicking it as he sucked.

Sweet Nimue, but she was beautiful when she came. She screamed his name. "Lucius! Oh, dear gods above, Lucius!"

He continued to stroke her, but lightly now, slowly, until she calmed again. He wiped his face discreetly on the sheets before he moved back up her body. She glowed with a light sheen of sweat, and there was a contented smile on her face.

Her arms reached for him, and she crooned, "Mmmm... Lucius." She tugged him over her. "Come into me now, Lucius. Please, I want you." Her hands were urgent, touching him, stroking his back, squeezing his arse. She begged, "Please, I need you. I need to feel you inside me now. Please, Lucius."

Obligingly, he positioned his cock and pushed into her, he'd meant to take it slowly. But Hermione was having none of that. She wrapped her legs around him. Locking her ankles together, she pulled him into her. "Yesss!" she hissed. "Oh, Lucius, that's good, so good. Fuck me, please."

She felt so damn perfect that he couldn't have stopped himself even if he'd wanted to, which he didn't. She was wet and hot and tight and welcoming, and he wanted to fuck her hard until she screamed for him. He whispered all these things to her as he slid into her over and over, slowly at first, drawing out each stroke, until he could stand it no more and began to quicken his movements. Hermione continued to urge him on, her words kindling a frenzy in him as he pounded into her. He could feel her body's reaction; she was so close. "Come, ma chérie, come for me."

His words seemed to trigger her orgasm. She screamed her release, clutching him to her. He thrust three more times and, shouting her name, he came hard inside of her.

Being careful not to crush her, he rolled to the side, off her body. Glancing down at her, he nearly laughed out loud. His little succubus had either passed out or fallen fast asleep. He wasn't entirely sure which.

Lucius stretched out beside her. Elbow bent, he propped his head on his hand to study her. He gently pushed her hair off her face, tucking the wayward strand behind her ear. And she'd been worried that he'd find her boring? Impossible! He'd been attracted to her practically since she'd first walked in the door of his chateau, but he hadn't known what to expect of the girl. He'd never imagined the depth of passion within her. Lucius had expected her to be shy and demure; she was anything but. He'd been extremely surprised, but pleased, nonetheless, at how vocal she became during their lovemaking. He smiled. He never would have thought that the swotty little bookworm, Hermione Granger, would turn out to be a screamer.

Lucius gently maneuvered Hermione so he could pull her body close to his. Spooning against her, he pulled the blankets up over them, taking care not to awaken her. With his arms wrapped securely around her, Lucius gave a sigh of contentment and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Hermione woke up to a slight feeling of panic. She felt restrained, uncomfortably warm, and somewhat disoriented. This wasn't her room. As her eyes opened fully, she immediately remembered whose bed she was in. She soon realized the reason she felt restrained and hot was that Lucius was clinging to her as if she were his giant security blanket. Gods, the man was like a furnace! Kicking her feet out from under the covers helped a bit, and Hermione giggled at the idea of Lucius Malfoy as a cuddler.

At that very moment the wizard in question mumbled something unintelligible as he nuzzled her neck and lightly ground his morning erection against her rear.

Hermione twisted her head around, prepared to tease him with the old 'is that a wand in your pocket' joke, only to realize that he was sound asleep. Hermione considered her options for a moment, and then gave Lucius a gentle jab in the ribs with her elbow. It produced exactly the results she had hoped for, and he released his hold on her, then flopped onto his back, snoring lightly. The drapes were open a little, allowing the soft pre-dawn light to infiltrate the room. Hermione's heart constricted a bit as she realized that he must always leave them cracked, so as never to be stranded in total darkness. She was suddenly glad that Dragon Pox had taken Abraxas Malfoy; were the man still alive, she feared what she might be compelled to do to him. Her inner avenging angel imagined something along the lines of dank, dark dungeon cells and lots of creepy, crawly things. Needless to say, she dearly hoped that he'd had a long, lingering, and extremely painful death. Pulling her thoughts back to the present, she took advantage of the opportunity and turned to her side so she could observe Lucius as he slept.

Great Godric's Garters! The man was gorgeous. Even rumpled and disheveled from their amorous activities, he was still sex on a stick, and she wanted to lick him all over. Studying him closely, she couldn't help but think that his sensitivity about their age difference seemed ridiculous. Comparing him now to the broken, disheveled man she had encountered at Malfoy Manor those many years ago, he seemed far fitter and more attractive. His skin fairly glowed with a healthy tan, and his platinum locks were streaked with kisses of sunshine. He looked firmer too, his muscles toned and well defined. Oh, yes, he now looked at least ten years younger than his actual age, and she wondered idly if he had discovered some secret charm or potion, but she quickly discarded that idea. His appearance was more than likely a result of the physical demands of running the vineyards, which kept him in excellent shape and gave him a new found satisfaction in what he was doing with his life.

As she continued to study Lucius, she wondered if his reluctance to pursue her might not also have also stemmed from what had happened in his home that night when the Snatchers had brought them in. She had, in truth, hated all of the Malfoys for a time. But in getting to know Draco after the war, she had found herself able to empathize with him and gain a better understanding of what it had been like for him, to endure the daily terror of having the Dark Lord in residence. She was positive it must have been much the same for Lucius. Probably worse, in fact, being virtually under house arrest with no wand at his disposal while his natural instincts would have been to protect his family at all costs. She decided that at some point she would need to talk to him about how she and Draco had become friends and to put his mind at ease that she had already forgiven anything from the past. After all, she better that most could understand just how far someone might go to protect those they love.

Although she would have been content to lie there and stare at him for hours, she now realized that she really needed to find the loo. Shoving the covers back and being careful not to wake Lucius, she arose. Reaching down, she grabbed his shirt and slipped it on before padding over to the nearest door.

It didn't take her long to realize that this was obviously an entire suite of rooms. The first door she tried revealed a walk-in closet that was bigger than the bedroom of her flat back in Australia. The second door led to some kind of sitting room or private study. She was beginning to get desperate when she finally found what she'd been searching for. If she'd thought the closet huge, the bathroom was palatial.

Hermione took care of her business, and as she washed her hands, she took stock of the room. Again, nothing frilly or feminine in sight, leading her to wonder if Lucius had remodeled the entire master suite following his divorce. The counter tops were polished granite, a rich, deep black with pale pinkish-tan contrasts that were reflected in both the floor tile and bathing areas. There was a shower that looked big enough for half a Quidditch team and a tub that easily rivaled that of the prefects' bath at Hogwarts.

Amongst all of Lucius' variety of toiletries two bottles of cologne sat on the counter, nothing commercial here, obviously custom-blended scents. Hermione couldn't resist the temptation and unstoppered the first to sniff. Mmm... She recognized that scent immediately, definitely Lucius. She closed her eyes and sniffed again: sandalwood and spice... maybe cinnamon? Possibly combined with just a hint of cloves and a very slight musky note with a tiny bit of sweetness... vanilla maybe. Yes, most definitely Lucius. She replaced the bottle, and curious, she picked up the second. Opening this one, she sniffed. Hmmm... It seemed vaguely familiar. A woodsy scent like a pine forest... a bit of smoke and spice again... cloves for sure this time. Then, just a hint of citrus... lime, she thought, and just a tiny note of patchouli. Hermione's brow furrowed in concentration, and she sniffed again. So familiar, and yet... not Lucius, not Lucius at all. Now, where did she know that scent from?

"Here you are," said Lucius, interrupting her thoughts. He was lounging against the door frame, stark naked and completely at ease with his own nudity. "I woke up, and you were gone. I was lonely," he pouted.

Hermione laughed at his forlorn expression; he looked so much like a little boy who had lost his favorite teddy bear. "I needed the loo," she explained. "I nearly got lost trying to find it, this suite is so huge. It took me three tries to find the right door. Quite impressive, I must say. It looks like there's enough room in that shower for several people."

"Indeed," drawled Lucius. His eyebrows waggled at her as he strode over to the shower, and opening the glass doors, he turned the water on. "Or just two is nice, as well," he said. Hooking his finger in the top of her shirt, he pulled her toward him. "Hmmm... I like seeing you in my shirt. It's very sexy, for some reason. Why is that, I wonder? I'm sure it has never looked that good on me."

Hermione was about to protest that she thought it had when Lucius continued,"But right now, ma chérie, I just want you out of it." He quickly unbuttoned the shirt and pushed it off her shoulders to fall to the floor. Eagerly, he tugged her into the shower. It wasn't long before Hermione was living out her shower fantasy with lots and lots of wet, slippery skin.

* * *

The next night, she got to the fulfill the fantasy of having Lucius in _her_ bed. As an added bonus, they also got to sample the window seat as well. While not quite as comfortable as the bed, it had definite possibilities. It turned out that with Hermione kneeling and facing the window with her hands braced on the sill, it was the perfect height for Lucius to take her from behind. She really liked that window seat.

In truth, Lucius had been more than just a little bit put out when she had refused to come to his room. In his typical domineering Malfoy way, he had simply assumed that she would move into the master suite with him. When Hermione pointed out that it wasn't one of the terms they had agreed to, she thought he was going to shoot straight through the roof. Lucius had sputtered and fumed for nearly an hour until he calmed down enough to listen to her explanation that sex was one thing but moving into his rooms was just too much for her. For now at least, she wanted to her own space. However, she might be willing to consider his suggestion at a later date. She needed time to get used to the idea.

They nearly had their first fight the second time she stayed in his rooms. She found that the 'not Lucius' bottle of cologne was now gone from his vanity. When she asked what had happened to it, his reply puzzled her.

"Oh, that wasn't mine. A guest left it here," he explained.

"A guest? A guest was using the master suite? That seems odd."

Lucius hesitated only slightly, but it was enough that Hermione picked up on it. He responded, offhandedly, "I'm sorry, you misunderstood my meaning. What I meant to say was that it was a gift left by a guest. But I decided I don't care for the scent, so I got rid of it."

Hermione thought for a bit, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. "The bottle was half-empty."

"And your point is...?" he asked curtly. He seemed increasingly annoyed by her questions.

"Why would someone give you a gift of a half-empty bottle of cologne?"

"I'm sure the bottle was full to begin with, but I must have used half of it up."

"You just said that you didn't care for the scent. Why would you use up half a bottle of cologne you didn't like?"

"Perhaps," said Lucius, his teeth gritted, "I am mistaken and was right the first time, and they merely left it behind."

"Do you often have guests here at the chateau who have access to the bath in the master suite?"

"I let you use it, don't I?

"That's true," replied Hermione considering. _But I only used it after we became intimate; otherwise, there would be no reason for me to be in these rooms. So, was this particular guest someone he was intimate with? Funny, I could have sworn it was a man's cologne. So, if that's the case, then that means... Oh... OH!..._

Hermione proceeded cautiously. "I've been here for several weeks, and I'm sure you haven't had any guests in that time that I have noticed."

"Again. What. Is. Your. Point?" He bit out each word.

"Just that there have been no guests here in nearly six weeks, so obviously it sat there on your vanity undisturbed for at least that long. If it didn't bother you sitting there all that time, why would you suddenly feel the urge to get rid of it?"

"Why are you making such a fuss about a silly bottle of cologne?" he shouted, his face flushed in irritation. He stood and paced before her in agitation.

"Why are you getting so angry that I asked about it? I was just curious, that's all. The other day, when I smelled it, the scent seemed vaguely familiar, which is strange since it was obviously a custom blend."

"Familiar? You recognized the scent? From where... who?" he asked her uneasily.

"That's just it; I don't remember. I just can't put my finger on it, but I'm sure I've smelled it before."

Hermione glanced up at Lucius, who was looking at her as if he either wanted to choke her to death or fuck her to the same end. She felt a spear of heat shoot through her body, only to curl up and settle low inside her. Gods, she wanted him. All he had to do was glance at her sideways, and she was ready to crawl into bed with him. So what if he had been intimate with another wizard? It didn't matter to her. That was in his past, and it didn't stop him from being the sexiest man she'd ever known. Clearly, she was the one he wanted now, and Merlin knew she wanted him too. She realized that she really didn't want to fight with him over a stupid bottle of cologne that he had thrown away probably because he was afraid she'd figure out the other wizard thing.

She smiled shyly, and reaching out for his hand, she pulled him down next to her on the sofa. "Don't be angry. Lucius, I'm sorry for making such a fuss. I was just curious; that's all. I thought if I smelled it again, I might remember who it reminded me of. It really doesn't matter."

Lucius relented and draped his arm across her shoulders, pulling her close. "And I too am sorry for shouting at you. I suppose I have been little put out today. I was making room for your things that I assumed would now be cluttering my vanity. But that clearly is not going to happen."

Hermione laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh. She figured it was partially a lie. She thought the real reason was the other wizard thing. Still, it was sweet that he was pouting about her not moving into his suite. "It might happen someday soon. Just bear with me for a bit, Lucius. Okay?" she asked, rising from the sofa.

"All right, Hermione. I'll admit that I may have expected too much too soon." He craned his head around to look at her. She had walked around the back of the sofa and was now bending over it, placing her hands on the seat next to him. "What the devil are you up to now, woman?"

She eyed him flirtatiously. "Lucius, look. I just noticed the back of your sofa. It's the perfect height." She demonstrated by bending forward at the hips and standing back up several times, draping herself directly over the back of the sofa. "And it's so well padded, too. This is even better than the window seat. Come around behind me and see."

"Circe's titties! Hermione, are you trying to distract me?" he asked, but he jumped up eagerly to do her bidding.

"Maybe I am. Is it working?"

"Yes," he answered and then gasped as he raised her skirt to find her bare underneath. "Sweet Salazar, witch! I think I've created a monster; you're insatiable."

Hermione straightened up, dropping her skirt back over her arse. "Well, if you're not interested...," she pouted.

He shoved her firmly back down and swept her skirt up over her hips. "I didn't say that at all, sweet," he whispered in her ear, bending over her. "Put your hands right here... There, that's perfect."

It didn't take them long to determine that it was, indeed, even better than the window seat.

For the next couple of weeks, they divided their time between his room and hers. Hermione soon began to notice that her room seemed to be prone to subtle changes each time Lucius spent the night with her. It became slightly bigger and more luxurious with each visit. He denied any responsibility and claimed he had no idea what she was talking about. Ha! As if she wouldn't notice that her bathtub had suddenly grown to triple the size.

She finally gave up and moved into his rooms.

* * *

Lucius could not believe that the man was being so stubborn. When he'd asked the Potions master to grant Draco an apprenticeship, he'd obviously been reluctant, but a few mild threats and carefully chosen bribes had done the trick. However, now that Lucius had asked him to give Hermione the same consideration, he was being an absolute bastard about it. One would think he had asked the man to give up his first born child, for Merlin's sake.

The owls had been winging furiously back and forth for the last week, and so far, he had nothing more to show for all his efforts than the pile of parchments littering his desk. And he was no closer to an agreement now than when he had sent the first proposal. He honestly hadn't realized that it would be such an issue, or else he would have started these ridiculous negotiations much earlier in the summer. Blast!

There was no way on earth that he was going to renege on his promise to Hermione, as he had no intention of losing her company. It had been close to two months, and rather than wearying of her company, he wanted her more every day. It made no sense; clearly, he should have got his fill of her by now. That is what always happened whenever he took up with a new amour. No matter how much he lusted after a woman, following the thrill of the chase and spending a couple of weeks in her company, he normally either found himself bored out of his mind or irritated enough to consider a quick Avada and the best place to hide the body.

But Hermione had neither of these effects on him. Because of their astronomically different backgrounds, past history, and rather significant age difference, he had honestly expected them to have very little in common. And yet, just the opposite was true, their similarities seemed endless. They both were highly intelligent, bookworms, powerful magical beings, methodical researchers, logical thinkers, clever, a bit cynical, more than a bit antisocial, at times devious; the list went on and on. He'd just realized that they both had tempers that were quick to ignite, but equally as quick to extinguish. It was a trait that lent itself well to some fabulous make-up sex; in fact, he was suspicious that Hermione might very well have picked a fight with him last night just so she could shag him into the mattress afterward—as if she needed an excuse!

No, he decided firmly. There was no chance he was going to allow that stubborn git to ruin this for him by acting like a total idiot. It was time to pull out the big guns; he sat to write a reply to his old friend.

_S: _

_In reply to your last note. Very well, you stubborn git. You shall not have to take on HG as your apprentice. _

_Please be prepared, however, to share your lab space and potions stores with an independent Potions master (as yet undecided) whom I will be hiring to fulfill Hermione's apprenticeship._

_L _

With a smirk, Lucius rolled up the parchment and summoned a fresh owl to deliver it. Looking at the clock and determining just how long it would take the owl to make the flight there and back, he estimated when the bird would return.

Just as he was sitting down to enjoy afternoon tea with Hermione on the terrace, an owl flew in to deliver his reply. Lucius glanced down at his watch and muttered, "Hmmm... seventy-four minutes. Right on the button."

"What is that, Lucius?" asked Hermione, curious. "Something you were expecting?"

"Yes, sweet, it is. Now if I have chosen my method of extortion correctly, this letter should hold the key to your apprenticeship."

Lucius unrolled the parchment to read it first, wanting to be sure there was nothing confidential in it before he handed it to Hermione.

_L,_

_You win, you bloody bastard. Don't you dare let some cretin touch anything in my lab, or I'll skin you and use your parts for ingredients. I'll take on the know-it-all Granger as my apprentice. Make note for future reference that I said this was a huge mistake. I shall be pleased to say 'I told you so.' I hope you know what you're doing. _

_S_

"We've won my dear. Your position is secured."

Hermione frowned as she read the note. "Mr. Sebastian must have been an associate of Professor Snape's."

Lucius looked up sharply."What makes you say that?"

"He calls me a 'know-it-all.' It was one of the professor's favorite appellations for me," replied Hermione with a sad, wistful tone. "He sounds very upset over the whole matter. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to force him into this, Lucius."

"Nonsense! He was much the same with Draco's apprenticeship. He is just resistant to the idea; it will be fine." Lucius then laid his hand over Hermione's and teased, "And, according to Draco's stories of your school days, you _were_ a bit of a know-it-all. Embrace it, my dear, it's who you are."

Hermione huffed, "You're right I suppose. But Professor Snape didn't mean it in any positive way, I'm sure. I just always wanted to win his approval, to somehow show him that I was worthy of it, and I never did. After the war, when I learned what part he'd really played, I realized that a lot of the things he said and did were his way of keeping within that role he was forced to play. I'm so sorry he died never knowing that everything he worked for all those years was finally realized. In a way, I suppose, my dream of becoming a Potions mistress is a way of honoring his memory."

Lucius was glad that Hermione was staring down at the letter because then she couldn't see the shocked look on his face. _Dear Merlin! It sounds as if she practically worshiped Snape's memory, and I've just tied her to a two-year apprenticeship with Julius Sebastian. I'm not so sure I like the idea that she will be spending more time with him than she does with me. Plus, it could end up like a replay of her Hogwarts days. If she'd thought Severus hard to deal with back then, she might find this situation to be __ten times worse._

* * *

Lucius was in his study, working on some correspondence for the Malfoy estates. Hermione had received an invitation to lunch from Luna, who was in Paris for a work assignment. Lucius suspected the girl might actually be an Unspeakable with the Department of Mysteries, but of course he had no idea if this was true or not. At any rate, Hermione had Apparated off for the day, and he was left to his own devices; so, he had decided to catch up on things that had accumulated.

He managed to clear up a lot of the backlog and was considering calling for tea when he heard the sounds of arrival from the front hall. A second later, the study door flew open to reveal that the Potions master had returned. He looked hale and hearty, as he always did upon returning from his summer travels. His black hair, a bit longer than he usually wore it, was tied back with a leather thong. His complexion looked much less pale after weeks spent out of doors while on the search for new or rare potions specimens. Instead of his accustomed formal robes, he was dressed casually in black jeans and a grey shirt.

Lucius stood and greeted his friend warmly, "Welcome home, Se... Se... Julius. Damn it all! Remove this Inhibitor Spell!"

With a chuckle and a quick wave of a wand, the spell was lifted. "It's a good thing you and Draco agreed to the spell, or my identity would be common knowledge by now," he growled.

"You're looking well, my friend. I was just going to call Fifi to bring tea; join me, and we can catch up."

"Fifi met me in the foyer. I've already told her we'd want tea." At that instant, the tea tray appeared on the table next to the French doors. Taking note that there were only two cups, he commented snidely, "I assume _she_ won't be joining us then."

With a sigh, Lucius sat at the table. This was not going to go as smoothly as he had planned those many weeks ago when he had entered into his agreement with Hermione. Pouring tea for both of them, he said, "No, she isn't here at the moment. Hermione has a luncheon date and is gone for the afternoon. She will be back in time for dinner, though.

"I've learned that you two may have some issues to deal with that might make this arrangement more difficult than I'd at first anticipated. However, I do expect you to behave like an adult and a gentleman and not like a petulant little boy. You are to treat her decently, or you will answer to me, Severus."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

AN: This story was originally posted at the LJ comm: lm_hgficxchange, for the 2012 exchange. It is complete in seven chapters. Many thanks go to my wonderful beta: clairvoyant12 and to my alpha reader and Brit Picker: talesofsnape. Please note: any mistakes are my own, I do admit to 'tweaking' things a bit even after the beta work was done. And special thanks to blueartemis07 for the lovely prompt.

Also in light of the recent activity on this archive of purges of M rated fics, please note that I do have my stories saved at other archives. Check my bio for the names of these sites.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I make no money here.

* * *

Severus stared at him with a look of disbelief. "What hold does that little bitch have over you, Lucius?"

Lucius winced internally at the slur against Hermione but decided to let Severus purge the vitriol from his system before taking him to task. "She has no hold over me, whatsoever, Severus. We have simply arrived at an agreement between us."

"Are you sure she hasn't Confunded you? That was a particular specialty of hers, you know," Severus snapped.

"No, I have not been Confunded. I can assure you of that."

"Well, from the tone of your letters, I had assumed you were fucking her. But I'm sure I must have been wrong about that, since you say she's off on a date. So why are you doing this? Is she blackmailing you somehow, or Draco?"

Lucius took a deep breath; it was more difficult than he'd expected, keeping his temper under control with his old friend's attitude. "Hermione's date for lunch is with Luna Lovegood. And no, I'm not being blackmailed."

"She's surely using you as a means to an end somehow," accused Severus.

"But by the same token, it could just as easily be said that I am using her. The truth of the matter is, we are both using each other in a mutually beneficial arrangement. We are both fully aware of what we are doing and are happy with the circumstances as they are."

Severus gasped and got an ugly look on his face. "Dear lord, you are fucking the little slut. She has whored herself to you in return for this apprenticeship, hasn't she?" he shouted.

Lucius didn't know quite how it happened, but in a split second, he was on his feet with his wand in his hand and pointed directly at his best friend's heart. "Do not ever speak of her in such terms again. I warn you, Severus. We have been friends for a good many years, but this is a sticking point. I will not allow it."

Severus staggered back, as if he'd been struck. "You can't be serious?" he gasped.

Lucius lowered his wand. He seemed to consider what had just transpired, and he replied simply, "I do believe I am." He was surprised himself at his response.

"Sit, Severus," he said wearily, sitting himself. "Clearly, we need to talk."

They talked, or at least Lucius did, for a good long while, as Severus just sat and listened sullenly. After listening to Lucius relate the whole story, he finally began to loosen up a bit.

"And you're positive she hasn't cast any spells upon you or slipped you a potion?" asked Severus, not entirely convinced.

"Yes, Mummy, I'm absolutely sure the bad, mean witch hasn't cast an evil enchantment on me," said Lucius with a quiet chuckle.

"You must admit, Lucius, the entire situation seems highly unlikely. This is Hermione bloody Granger we're talking about, the Muggle-born Gryffindor princess who grew up seeing you as a poster boy for the Dark Lord."

"Quite possibly that was true at one time. But like all of us, she has been changed by events in her past. She became friends with Draco and she understands that not all things are black and white." Lucius thought for a moment before he slipped his sleeve up high enough to reveal his Dark Mark and gently rubbed his finger over it. "'...This Mark does not define who you are. How you live the rest of your life does that.' Can you guess who said those words to me, Severus? It was Hermione.

"So, unlikely scenario or not, just believe that we are both where we are with full knowledge and free will. I have not been blackmailed, cursed, given potions, or in any other way coerced into exchanging my influence to help her secure a Potions apprenticeship. What she grants me in exchange for that favor is between the two of us, but I will tell you now I am more than happy with the arrangement."

Severus looked doubtful. "Yes, but for how long? We both know how quickly your attentions wander, Lucius. How long will this infatuation last? And then, when you tire of her, I will still be stuck with her. How long have you had this 'arrangement'?"

Lucius smiled. Oh, yes, his friend knew him quite well. He was probably figuring that Lucius' time with Hermione had started when he'd sent the first letter a week ago. So, by Severus' estimation, he calculated that Lucius would be bored and trying to get rid of her within another couple of weeks.

"She has been here the entire summer, since shortly after you left, in fact. But, for the first five weeks, she was trying to figure out a way to make Draco's plan work. Then I finally convinced her that the best chance to influence you was through me, and we've been together since. So, nearly two months now."

Severus eyes nearly popped out of his head at this news; Lucius was clearly smitten. "I hope I am wrong, Lucius. But I fear that someone is going to be hurt before this is all done."

"You're worried about Hermione now?" Lucius asked puzzled. "Why would you care?"

Severus just shook his head at his how clueless Lucius was being.

"I still don't like any of this, not one little bit. But since I did agree, willingly or not, to take her on as an apprentice, I will. I still don't like the girl, and I don't have to be nice to her. She will have to toe the line and follow all of my rules, or it's done."

Lucius frowned at him and was about to protest when he heard the front door open and knew that Hermione had returned. Turning to Severus, he muttered quickly, "She's here. This will be quite a shock for her. Stay here until I've managed to explain."

* * *

Lucius was barely through the door from his study, before Hermione threw herself into his arms. "Oh, Lucius, I missed you," she cried, her momentum pushing him against the door with a 'thud'. She kissed him soundly before pulling back to say, "I love Luna, really I do. But she's so very odd sometimes. Did you ever wonder what she does in the Department of Mysteries? I'm half convinced that she's an Unspeakable and half convinced that she doesn't even work there at all, and that her job is a figment of her imagination. You wouldn't believe some of the strange theories she was trying to convince me of today."

As she'd been jabbering away about Luna, she had managed to get his shirt partially unbuttoned without him even noticing. She kissed him again, sliding her fingers inside the shirt to flick at his nipple before giving it a firm pinch. He yelped.

"Hermione, wait. Stop. I must tell you something," Lucius said as he pushed her back a step.

"Lucius, is something wrong? Has something happened... to Draco... or Neville? I know Luna is fine as she was with me."

"No, Hermione, nothing has happened. But we have a guest. Well, not a guest exactly... the... err... Potions master has returned. There's something I need to tell you before—"

"Oh! Good Godric! Mr. Sebastian? He's here? I must look awful. Is he in the study? And we've been standing out here canoodling. Lucius! Why didn't you tell me?" she scolded.

Hermione quickly buttoned Lucius' shirt back up. Then she ran her fingers nervously over her hair smoothing it down as much as she could. Before he could stop her, she turned to the door.

"Hermione, wait! Blast it woman! I have to tell you some—"

Hermione froze inside the doorway and then staggered back a step, bumping into Lucius. There was a dead man standing across the room. She could feel all the blood drain from her face. She swayed and most likely would have fallen over if Lucius hadn't wrapped his arm around her to support her.

"I was trying to tell you, ma chérie."

Hermione turned to Lucius in confusion. "Is... is this... some kind of sick joke?"

"Hermione, no. I swear to you it's true; it's really Severus."

She shook her head, disbelieving. "He's dead. I was there. I saw him die... _I saw him die!_"

"No, he is alive. He survived, and he's been living here the whole time, under the alias of Julius Sebastian." Hermione shook her head again. "It's true, sweet, I swear it. I'm sorry that I couldn't prepare you. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. There was a spell. And I'd made a vow. I couldn't say his name when speaking of his present self; I had to refer to him by his alias. I couldn't explain it to you until Severus removed the spell."

All through this Professor Snape had stood still, observing them as one might watch a play unfolding before him. Hermione took a step away from Lucius and toward him. He remained solid, and he didn't waver or fade as she'd feared he might. She walked toward him slowly, step by step. It felt like she was walking through treacle, thick and sticky. She stopped right before him. He hadn't moved; he just stood and stared back at her with that little frown line right between his eyebrows that was so Professor Snape-ish it literally brought tears to her eyes.

Reaching out slowly, carefully, as if he were some wild creature who might bolt if she moved too fast, she touched him. Softly. Her hand rested on his chest, over his heart. "You are real. And you're alive," she whispered.

"Yes. Miss Granger, I am most definitely both. Obviously," he sneered scornfully.

His voice was the key that broke the spell over her. It was him; it was the professor. Without a thought, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and keening against his chest. "You're alive, you're really alive," she mumbled over and over.

Severus was at a complete loss as to what to do. He stood frozen for several seconds with his arms held stiffly away from his body. When she just remained there stuck to him like a limpet, hugging him tightly and mumbling, he looked frantically at Lucius for support. Lucius merely shrugged, indicating he was at a loss as well. Finally, Severus relented and lowered his arms to touch her lightly and awkwardly pat her back and while muttering words of consolation. "There, there, Miss Granger. Calm yourself, please."

After a few more moments, Hermione seemed to come back to herself. Lucius' words from just moments ago came back to her, 'I wanted to tell you but I couldn't... There was a spell...And I'd made a vow.' Suddenly, an anger overcame her, a fury so white hot and fierce, she feared she might combust and take them both with her.

She pushed herself out of the professor's arms, and to his obvious shock, she slapped him hard. "A spell? A vow?" she screeched. She began to hit him, smacking his chest, his shoulders, his arms, anywhere she could reach. Like a childish fight on a Muggle playground. The thought of throwing a hex at him had never occurred to her, but she was so furious at the very idea of what he had done, of what might have happened to Lucius, that she simply couldn't contain her anger.

"A vow? You wouldn't let him tell? After everything that happened to you? Did you learn nothing from the past?" She tried to hit him some more, but Lucius grabbed her from behind and held her while she struggled in his arms and continued to rant. "You made him take a vow? You could have killed him; what in hell were you thinking?"

Suddenly, at the same time, they both realized what she was carrying on about.

Lucius hugged her fiercely to him. "Shhh... Hermione, calm down. Stop. It's not what you're thinking. Shhh... Listen... It was just an Inhibitor Spell. So that if I forgot and tried to say his name I couldn't, I had to use his alias."

Lucius continued to sooth her. Turning her in his arms and holding her close he stroked her gently, trying to calm her. "There was no Unbreakable Vow, Hermione. It was simple a wizard's vow, made between friends, a wand oath. I did feel honor bound to keep it, but I was in no danger."

Hermione sagged limply against Lucius. "You weren't?"

"No, none."

"Never?"

No, never."

"Oh... Well, thank goodness for that," she sighed, not trying to escape his arms, but snuggling closer. "But now I certainly feel like an idiot. Thanks so very much for that," she mumbled into his chest.

Hermione Granger was nothing if not the consummate Gryffindor. Squaring her shoulders, she turned to face her former teacher. Her faced aflame with embarrassment, she said sincerely, "Professor Snape, please accept my apologies for my outburst and especially so for my physical attack on your person. Please, forgive me, sir."

He seemed to be considering her apology. She fully expected him to use this as an excuse to withdraw the Potions position. Instead, he sighed deeply and said, "Apology accepted, Miss Granger, for now. We have all had a most trying day, it seems. Let us start afresh tomorrow."

* * *

Dinner was a subdued affair with only Lucius and Severus present. Hermione had begged off, sending Lucius a note that she didn't feel well.

Severus' first night back from his summer travels was usually a lively evening spent catching up. Lucius always looked forward to hearing Severus' tales of his adventures, which inevitably took place in variety of exotic locals. And surprisingly enough, to people who did not know him well, Severus Snape was quite a good story teller with a rather droll sense of humor.

However, this evening Lucius found himself unable to concentrate on Severus words. Instead, he was continually looking at Hermione's empty spot at the table or glancing distractedly toward the stairs and wondering if she was all right.

Later, they retired to the library for brandy. Severus was telling of the four weeks he'd spent in the rain forests of Brazil and a new specimen of a night-blooming orchid he'd discovered there. It was obvious that Lucius only listened with half an ear. Annoyed with his inattention, Severus continued, "Yes, indeed, I have very high hopes for developing a mind-altering toxin from that orchid. I should be able to produce enough to infect all of wizarding Britain."

"Hmmm... how fascinating, Severus. Do tell me more," said Lucius, while not really hearing a word his friend had said at all.

Severus studied his friend before resuming with a smirk on his face. "Once that part is done, then I am going to recruit Harry Potter. Using some tissue from his scar, I'll create a reverse Horcrux and resurrect The Dark Lord."

"That's interesting," responded Lucius.

"Of course, he will become my minion this time, and I will to rule over the entire world. Perhaps you'd like to become my second in command, Lucius." Lucius nodded without even looking up. "Wonderful! We could always ask Miss Granger to join us, and she could become Queen of our Universe."

Lucius, finally looked up. "What's that, Severus? Did you say something about Hermione?"

Severus exhaled heavily and shook his head. "I think your mind is elsewhere this evening, my friend. I am weary from my travels, and I think I will read for a bit here in the library and then retire early. I do have some things to unpack and apparently an apprentice to prepare for."

"Yes, it has been a long day, so I think I'll call it a night as well. It is good to have you home, though, Severus. Sorry I wasn't very good company tonight."

Lucius called a house-elf to see if Hermione had taken a tray in their room or skipped dinner entirely. Instead of Fifi, one of the younger elves appeared. "Daisy?" asked Lucius looking confused. Fifi was the senior elf, rather like a housekeeper in a Muggle household. It was unusual for the younger staff to answer a summons by the master, which made Lucius suspect something was wrong. "Where is Fifi?"

Daisy wrung her hands nervously and, rolling her eyes, looked everywhere but at her master. "Fifi is being upstairs with Missy Hermione," she finally admitted reluctantly.

"Is Miss Hermione ill? Is there a problem?" inquired Lucius gruffly.

"The Missy is moving all her things from Master's rooms back to the round room. Fifi is trying and trying to make the Miss stop, but she is being very stubborn. She is saying she will move things herself."

Lucius looked furious. "We'll just see about that!" he exclaimed heading out of the room.

Daisy looked nearly despondent at her master's displeasure, a few tears trickled from her huge eyes and down her cheeks. She reached up to grab a silver candlestick off the table, but before she could bash herself in the head, Lucius turned back and snatched it out of her hand. "No punishment! Go!" he snarled before stomping out of the room himself.

* * *

Lucius had completely forgotten about Severus, who was sitting by the fireplace. He had seen everything. It surprised him to learn that Lucius had taken the girl into his own rooms on a permanent basis. He was clearly besotted with her. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on here? "What are you up to, Granger?" he muttered aloud. He was determined to learn the truth. Severus had been friends with Lucius for a very long time and owed him a great deal. He didn't trust Hermione Granger, and he meant to do whatever it took to protect his friend from being hurt.

* * *

The bedroom door slammed open, crashing back against the wall with a resounding 'BANG!' "Woman, what in the HELL do you think you are doing?" demanded Lucius angrily.

When the door crashed open, Hermione jumped in shock and released a little shriek. Seeing Lucius standing in her doorway like some sort of avenging angel, she quickly turned away not wanting to see him.

"Hermione." His voice gentled immediately. "You've been crying. Why are you crying, Hermione?"

"I'm not," she denied, shaking her head.

"Clearly, you are," said Lucius, kneeling beside her chair. "Tell me why," he insisted. Hermione just continued to shake her head and refused to look at him. His anger began to rise again. He stood and pulled her to her feet. "I assure you, I will get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, we are going back to _our_ rooms, and you _will_ tell me what this is all about."

"No, I am not going back there," she declared, pulling away from him.

"I say you are," he said as he scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She squealed loudly and proceeded to kick her legs and pound her fists against his back. He Accio'd her wand from the table before she could think to do it herself and tucked it away. It was impossible to Apparate with her struggling so, as there was too much danger of Splinching one or both of them, so he merely traipsed through the hallways all the way back to their rooms.

She railed at him the entire way and continued to smack at his back and arse. Just as they turned the corner toward the master suite, Lucius nearly ran into Severus, who was coming up the stairs.

"Is there a problem, Lucius?" asked Severus with an amused smirk on his face.

"Nothing I can't handle, Severus. I dare say we will get everything all sorted out before long."

The nerve! They were talking about her as if she weren't even there. Dear Merlin, this was so embarrassing. "Arrrgghh!" she cried as she renewed her attack, kicking and smacking Lucius wherever she could reach him.

"Hmmm... she does seem to have a rather violent propensity for striking out with physical violence, doesn't she?" Severus commented dryly. "I wonder if I should be concerned for my safety?"

"It would seem that way, but I can assure you, this is realy not the norm for her," answered Lucius seriously.

_I'll show you norm, Malfoy, you git! _Hermione vigorously renewed her attack on Lucius' person.

"Hmmm... perhaps if you were to respond in kind with a bit of corporal punishment, she might cease and desist with her tantrum," suggested Severus.

"You might just have an idea there, Severus," said Lucius. "A stroke of genius, one might say," he added with a bit of a leer in his voice as he stroked his hand over her bum.

_What on earth are they doing, standing here, chatting as if they're just two old friends meeting on a street corner. And what did the professor just say? Something about corporal punishment? Oh... OH!_ "Lucius, don't you dare—" she cried, just as his palm cracked down firmly on her arse. "Oww! Stop that right now!"

Crack, crack!

"Ow, Ow! Lucius, stop!" Hermione stopped struggling, but pushing against Lucius' back, she raised up enough to look directly at Severus. "Thanks ever so much for all your help," she ground out sarcastically.

The last thing she heard before Lucius went through their door was a sound she had never heard before, Professor Snape's unbridled laughter.

Kicking the door shut behind him and carrying Hermione to the bed, Lucius dropped her gently on it. She scooted to the center and stared at him accusingly. Lucius merely sat near the end of the bed, leaning back against the bed post, he studied her closely.

"Are you ready to tell me what this was all about?"

She just stared back, saying nothing.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he settled back, making himself comfortable. "I can wait all night, you know; you will tell me eventually."

With a sigh, Hermione threw her arm across her face. If she was going to bare her soul and her broken heart, at least she wasn't going to watch him while she did. "I figured it all out before; I just didn't realize the who of it. When it was just some passing fling, it didn't bother me, but when I realized earlier today that it was a long-term relationship, it became something else entirely."

She could hear the frown in his voice. "You do realize, don't you, that I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Before, when we talked about the cologne, when I asked you why a guest would be using the master suite? Your reply was that you let me use it. I realized you were implying that the guest was not just a house guest, but a personal guest. Someone whom you had invited to your rooms, someone you were involved with intimately." Hermione dropped her arm to her side, twisting her fingers nervously in the sheets. She still refused to look at Lucius, afraid of what she might see in his eyes. "I knew it was a man's cologne, so I knew you'd been involved with a man."

She peeked from the corner of her eye and saw Lucius pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing a finger between his eyes, as though he were getting a headache. She hurried on, figuring it was best just to blurt it all out and get it over with. "That didn't matter to me, though, because I figured that you wanted to be with me now and that affair was in the past. But today, when I was hugging the professor, I recognized his cologne... I knew immediately it was him. And you said that he had been here, living with you secretly for years. You've been together all this time, and I came along and ruined it for you."

Hermione dared another glance and saw that Lucius now had his face covered by his hands and his shoulders shook slightly. Oh, dear Merlin, was he crying? She'd made a grown man cry, she was such a heel. "Oh, Lucius, I'm so sorry. I wanted you so much that I tricked you into our arrangement. I know you think you tricked me, but that was all part of my plan, you see. I tricked you into tricking me and then believing it was all your own idea. I never should have done it, and I wouldn't have if I'd known you were with someone else. But I didn't know then, and at the time, I figured it was the only way I could get the apprenticeship and you too. And oh, gods, I wanted you so very much. I even plotted several different scenarios and did the Arthimantic calculations to see which one would give me the best odds."

Hermione turned to look at Lucius, only to realize that he was the one who now refused to meet her gaze. She bit back a sob and rolled to her side, pulling her knees up to her chest. Curled in a fetal position, she whispered, "I'm so, so very sorry, Lucius. I know you must hate me." She snuffled against the sheets, trying not to cry.

* * *

Lucius buried his face in his hands, nearly biting his lips off in an attempt not to burst out laughing. His shoulders shook as he tried to hold it back. Hermione would Avada him for sure if she thought he was laughing at her. He couldn't believe she thought he and Severus... that Severus and him... it was just too funny for words.

Then he heard her confess that she had tricked him into propositioning her into the arrangement. His wily little witch! It's a miracle she hadn't been sorted into Slytherin, as he was positive it was only her blood status that had kept her out. She was more cunning than the most devious Slytherin he'd ever known. She'd even used Arithmancy to calculate the odds on the best way to get him into her bed. He turned to her with a big grin on his face, only to find she'd turned her back to him.

Looking thoroughly miserable, curled up in a fetal position and trying her best not to cry, she whispered an apology, "I'm so, so very sorry, Lucius. I know you must hate me."

Getting up and quickly disrobing, he slid behind her on the bed, spooning his body around hers. She held herself stiffly and shivered slightly at his touch. He pulled the duvet up over both of them as he snuggled her close. "Of course I don't hate you, silly little witch. Haven't you figured it out yet? I love you."

Hermione choked back a sob. "That's cruel, Lucius. Don't tease me," she whimpered.

"Ahh... Sweet, for the most brilliant witch I've ever met, you really are a ninny sometimes. If you'd only talked to me..." Lucius sighed and gently straightened her legs. He rolled her onto her back and leaned up so he could look down at her. He caressed her face softly, wiping away her tears and kissing her chastely. "You got it all about half right.

"Yes, Severus has lived here with me for years. Yes, we are very good friends, companions. We are not a 'couple' and are not in a 'romantic' relationship. I won't say that we have never connected intimately, but it has nearly always been on those occasions when we shared a witch's affections between us.

"But the cologne..."

"Severus had to use my bath the day he left. His rooms are right across the hall, and we were having some problems with the plumbing. He was in a hurry because he had a Portkey to catch. He must have left the cologne behind. I really didn't notice it there until you pointed it out. When you said the scent seemed familiar, I was horrified and worried you were going to figure out his secret. Once we had got him to agree to the apprenticeship, the point would have been moot, but just then, I was not allowed to tell you the truth."

Hermione was very quiet, considering everything that Lucius had revealed. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She scooted a little closer. Looking deeply into his eyes, she threaded her fingers through his hair and whispered, "You love me?"

He nodded. "I do indeed, ma chérie," he said as one hand slid down to cup her arse and pull her up against him. He kissed her mouth, softly at first, and she could feel his erection growing harder and pressing against her stomach. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ignoring my heartfelt declaration, my sweet. You had me worried."

"Oh, Lucius... My Lucius... I thought I'd lost you," she said, her voice soft, yet rough, with emotion. Hermione pressed him flat onto his back as she shoved down the duvet. Then grabbing the hem of her nightgown, she lifted it over her head as she straddled his hips. Taking him in her hand, she aligned his cock with the center of her sex as she slowly pushed him inside. "I want you inside me the first time I tell you. After this afternoon, I thought I'd never be able to say the words aloud that are in my heart. I love you too. I do, so very much. I love you... I love you... I love you."

He moaned as he felt her heat engulfing him, but he didn't move, letting her set the pace. When he was seated fully inside of her, she leaned down and whispered things in his ear. She repeated over and over words of love and desire and passion. His hands grazed over her, touching her face, sliding to her neck, her breasts. He teased her nipples, pinching and twisting as she continued to ride him. His hands traveled to her hips to lift and pull and move her. Hermione told him, with her eyes and her hands and her body and her words, of the depths of her love for him, driving them both to an earth-shattering completion.

Exhausted from the stress of the day and replete from their lovemaking, they both slept soundly wrapped in each others arms. Lucius rose early, as was his habit. He made slow gentle love to Hermione before he left. With a contented smile, she rolled over to sleep for a bit longer before facing her first day with the Potions master. She felt refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on the world. Little did she know what lay in store.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

AN: This story was originally posted at the LJ comm: lm_hgficxchange, for the 2012 exchange. It is complete in seven chapters. Many thanks go to my wonderful beta: clairvoyant12 and to my alpha reader and Brit Picker: talesofsnape. Please note: any mistakes are my own, I do admit to 'tweaking' things a bit even after the beta work was done. And special thanks to blueartemis07 for the lovely prompt.

Also in light of the recent activity on this archive of purges of M rated fics, please note that I do have my stories saved at other archives. Check my bio for the names of these sites.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I make no money here.

* * *

Hermione sat in the breakfast room. It was a smaller, more intimate dining area than the formal dining room in which they ate their dinners. As she had her tea and toast with a small dish of fruit, she couldn't keep the big goofy grin off her face. _Lucius loves me...Lucius loves me... _sang a happy little voice in her head.

Professor Snape stalked into the room with a scowl on his face. She refused to let Mr. Sourpuss ruin her wonderful mood. "Good morning, Severus. Isn't it a beautiful day?" She greeted him with a smile.

The look he gave her was cold enough to freeze Fiendfyre. Hermione gulped and sat up straighter in her chair. His voice equally icy as his gaze, he said, "No, Miss Granger, it is most certainly not a beautiful day. I have been kept waiting for the past two hours by my new apprentice. Only to learn now that you have been here, lazing about, ignoring your duties."

"I'm sorry, Severus. I didn't realize that a schedule had already been established," she replied reasonably. "Please let me know what hours you expect me, and I will be sure to be on time tomorrow."

She didn't think it possible, but his face took on an even more sour look than initially. "While in this household, you shall address me as Master Snape or sir, as is appropriate for an apprentice. Anywhere outside of the chateau, you shall refer to me as Master Sebastian," he snapped. "I shall refer to you by any name I please. And your hours will be whenever I say they are. This is not some cushy nine to five job at the ministry."

Hermione bit her lip and considered the man before her. Upon hearing his laughter last night, she had begun to think of him as a bit more human, but now she decided he had most likely just been laughing at her humiliation. He was trying to cow her now and establish his position as a bully over her, most likely in an attempt to scare her off. But she was no innocent child fresh from the schoolroom; she had rights, and she knew exactly what they were.

"I beg your pardon, sir. You are quite correct. I should not have addressed you so informally," she answered politely, appearing quite contrite. "But you see, I hadn't realized that we were to begin our master/apprentice affiliation immediately. I must point out, respectfully, sir, that according to the Potions Guild charter, amendment six, paragraph three, you must address me in a respectful manner as your apprentice. Therefore, you may _not_ call me by any name you like. As I'm sure you're aware, in the distant past apprentices were often mistreated by their masters and were not given the respect their positions merited. Since it appears that you prefer a more formal mode of address, I would like you to call me Miss Granger or, as an alternative, Apprentice Granger. At the very least, Granger, will do... sir.

"Also, sir, according to amendment eight, section three, paragraph two, while it may not be possible for my hours to follow a regular schedule, due to the very nature of potion making, you are required to inform me in advance of my expected schedule. And I am not required to work more than twelve hours in any given day or any combination that would equal over sixty-eight hours in any week. Oh, and I am allowed at least one free day per week for my own personal pursuits."

She watched his face carefully as she spouted all of this information and managed not to smile as he first paled then went from pink to rose to near purple. Dear lord, she hoped he didn't burst a vein; she was having fun, but she didn't want to kill the man.

Of course, if looks could kill, she most likely would have dropped dead right then and there. Mr. Sourpuss—as she decided she could call anything she liked in her head—pulled out a sheaf of papers at least thirty pages thick and slammed it down on the table.

"This is your official apprenticeship contract, _Miss Granger." _He spat her name with such vitriol she was sure he could have just as easily said 'you fucking bitch.' "Read it, sign it, and return it to me within the hour."

As he turned to go, Hermione cleared her throat. "Excuse me, Master Snape, sir. But I do believe there is going to be a problem with this."

He stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at her evilly. "And just what exactly is your problem, Miss Granger?"

"Well, you see, sir... I am not required to simply read and sign," she said sweetly as she produced a ratty, old beaded bag and, reaching inside, pulled out a much smaller sheaf of papers. "I have here, my apprentice contract which was drawn up for my apprenticeship with Mistress Winifred Wooster of Perth. This is the standard contract issued by the International Potions Guild. While it contains the minimum requirements, of course, each master and apprentice are free to negotiate their own version of the contract. Obviously you have certain expectations, over and above the standard issue contract, sir, as do I. Therefore, there needs to be some level of negotiations before we come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."

At her final choice of words, Mr. Sourpuss's face turned pink again, only this time rather than anger she would have sworn he was blushing. _Whatever brought that on?_ she wondered.

He tore his gaze from hers and glared up at the ceiling for a moment, as if he would find some sort of revelation there, then finally dropped his eyes back to hers. In a much calmer voice he said, "It would seem you have not come into this apprenticeship unprepared, Miss Granger. I suppose I should have expected little else from you, knowing you as I do."

Sensing the slight change in his demeanor, she smiled slightly as she asked, "Is that polite way of implying that I am still a know-it-all, Master Snape, sir?"

"As you say, Miss Granger. Look over the contract, and we will meet this afternoon after luncheon and discuss it." He turned without another word and stalked from the room.

Pouring herself a fresh cup of tea, she couldn't help but begin a tally in her head. Apprentice Granger: one, Mr. Sourpuss: zero.

* * *

By lunchtime, Hermione had so much red ink on Severus' contract it resembled an essay from one of his Hogwarts Potions classes. She sat at Lucius' desk in his study and was so busy muttering and slashing out and rewriting entire paragraphs that she didn't even notice Lucius' presence until he bent to drop a kiss on top of her head. She was so startled that she reared up, very nearly smacking him in the nose.

Seeing all of the papers in front of her, Lucius wrinkled his brow and asked, "Hermione, what is all of this?"

"This is Master Snape's idea of what an apprentice's contract should consist of," she declared. "My opinion of a fair contract, however, seems to vary a great deal from that of Master Snape's." She waved her hand toward the pile of papers. "All the items marked in red ink are in question by me and as such need to be negotiated with Master Snape."

Lucius looked at her in confusion. "Why do you keep referring to Severus as 'Master Snape?'"

"Because it is required of me, Lucius. He informed me of that himself this morning, and it's also right here on page two of the contract. I must address him as Master Snape or sir. Of course inside my head he's been Mr. Sourpuss since this morning. Look, I can deal with addressing him respectfully. It seems a little silly to be so formal with just the three of us here at the chateau, but I can live with it. I am not agreeing to half of the rest of this shit he's included in this bloody thing, though."

"Tsk, tsk, language, Miss Granger," commented Severus from the doorway. "I'm sure there is a clause in there somewhere regarding the use of foul language."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, shooting him the evil eye and wondering if he had heard the Mr. Sourpuss comment. "It seems we are going to have a problem with your version of the contract, sir, as I have clear issues with all the items marked with red." Spreading the papers out before her, she revealed a veritable sea of red.

"Hmmm... Then we are at an impasse, it seems."

Lucius stepped in, deciding to play peacemaker. "Hermione, I'm sure this is just standard procedure."

"No, Lucius. This"—Hermione tossed her original contract on the table—"is a standard guild apprentice contract." The difference between the two contracts was gargantuan.

"I... see," said Lucius, at a loss for words. He looked from the many pages to his friend, who shifted uncomfortably. "But, surely, Severus would not ask you to sign anything that was not necessary for fulfilling your apprenticeship. Isn't that right, Severus?"

Severus refused to meet Lucius' eyes. He cleared his throat and said, "Due to the unusual circumstances, I may have added a few clauses that one might not normally find in such a contract."

"A few clauses!" said Hermione, her voice shrill. Her eyes popped wide as she pointed at the offending documents. "You have so many fucking conditions in there, I would need your specific permission to blow my nose or wipe my arse!"

Turning to Lucius, she said, "Lucius, I fully understand the proprietary nature of a Potion master's business. His private formulas are the key to his livelihood. I have no problem whatsoever signing a nondisclosure clause. I also understand that Sever... that is, Master Snape does not wish his true identity revealed. I am willing to sign an agreement to that as well. But most of this contract is pure Thestral shit!"

"Hermione, surely it can't be that bad," Lucius said in exasperation.

"It is worded in such a way that it gives him complete control over me, Lucius. He could decide whom I am allowed see or speak to, when and where I can go, what clothes I must wear, what I may eat, even where I should sleep. If he decided to be vindictive, he could make me sleep on a cot in the corner of the potions lab rather than with you in our bed. Or he could tell me that he does not want me to speak to you, or make love to you, and then I could not. Would he use this power? I don't know. Probably not. Hopefully not. I suspect that in the beginning he was hoping to intimidate me. When that didn't work, he hoped that I'd refuse the contract on principle and wash my hands of the whole thing. But if I were to sign this as it is written, I'd be putting all aspects of my life under his control." Hermione looked at him with pleading eyes.

Lucius looked from Hermione, to the pages of the contract spread before them, to his old friend who was looking decidedly guilty. Gathering up the contract, Lucius shooed Hermione out of his chair, and donning his reading glasses, he sat down to peruse the contract.

There was an uneasy silence in the room as Lucius read the contract. Hermione stood behind Lucius at the French doors, staring out, her arms crossed tightly in front of her, and her back ramrod straight, her body language a clear tell as to her state of mind. Severus stood off to the side. At first glance, he appeared casually unconcerned until one took in the surreptitious glances he kept shooting between Lucius and Hermione.

Lucius removed his glasses, shaking his head, and he gave Severus an 'I'm so very disappointed in you' look. Lucius laid out the papers, and with his quill, he began to tick off various items. "No. No. Not this one either. That one... maybe. No. No. Definitely no. Hmm... That might get by with a slight alteration. No. That one, possibly. No. No. And dear gods above, Severus, what in hell were you thinking—no fucking way!" The last item Lucius didn't bother crossing off. He simply blasted it off the page, giving Severus a black look.

Hermione watched Lucius as he marked off many of the clauses she had objected to. She should have felt vindicated, but she just felt washed out and weary and sad.

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose and then rubbed his forefinger between his eyes, a sure sign of his frustration. He looked up at Severus and said, "I don't understand, I don't recall these formalities when Draco apprenticed with you, Severus. This certainly can't be the same contract that you had him sign."

Severus swallowed and then answered, "I didn't require any contract of Draco."

"What!" exclaimed Hermione her jaw dropped in shock. "You didn't even make him sign a standard apprentice contract, and yet you expect me to sign this?"

"There is a huge difference. I know Draco. And I know he won't steal from me, or lie to me, or hurt me or those I care about, or sneak around getting into who knows what kind of trouble. I trust Draco. I'll never trust you!" he said loudly.

Hermione gasped, and her head snapped back as though she'd been slapped. Feeling the blood drain from her face, she felt momentarily light headed. She took a couple of deep breaths trying to calm her racing heart. _Is that what he really thinks?_ _Well, if it is, then fuck him! I want no part of it._

In the next instant her wand was in her hand. Both men gaped, and Lucius leaped to his feet, as if he intended to stop her before she did something that could not be undone. But she didn't direct her wrath at Severus. With a whispered incantation, all of the papers gathered together, including her own contract, and with all of her might, she flung them into the fireplace where they burst into bright blue flames.

After Lucius' revelations last night she'd started the morning on top of the world, flying high. She had been looking forward to a bright future, the chance to fulfill her dreams finally within her grasp. Now, just a few short hours later, she just felt small and defeated, her dreams destroyed by a man she had long trusted and admired. Without a word, Hermione turned and walked out of the room with as much dignity as she could muster.

* * *

"That was a low blow, even for you, Severus," growled Lucius. He was angrier than he'd been in a very long time.

Severus was finding it difficult to meet his friend's eyes. But finally, he mustered his courage and looked directly at him as he spoke. "I'll admit, I may have misjudged the situation. Overreacted perhaps." Seeing the disbelief on Lucius' face, he amended, "Yes. It's possible that I may have taken things too far."

"Possible? Do you think so?" snapped Lucius sarcastically, worried about Hermione.

Severus scrubbed his hands over his face. "She was right, you know. I had initially hoped to intimidate her. I should have realized Hermione Granger doesn't intimidate easily. When that didn't work, I pulled out the bloody contract. I was sure that she would refuse to sign it, thus voiding the verbal agreement. I didn't expect her to show the damn thing to you. I didn't think you'd even be here for lunch. You usually don't bother."

"But why, Severus? If you objected that strongly to taking her on, why agree in the first place? Why not come to me and explain it rationally? We could have worked it out with another Potions master. We wouldn't even have even had to invade your precious lab, that was merely an idle threat. They could have used Draco's lab."

Lucius looked at Severus, trying to see inside this man's head, a man who he had considered his best friend for the past seven years. "If she had signed the contract, would you have used it against her? Would you have stopped her from seeing her friends? Would you have interfered with her relationship with me?"

"I don't know, Lucius. I suppose I really didn't think that far ahead," Severus said, his voice quiet. "It wasn't as if I had time to plan this all out. I honestly didn't expect her to sign the blasted thing. I just thought it would make her go away. I was trying to protect you."

"Protect me from what, Severus? I don't understand." Lucius was still was at a loss as to what his friend had been thinking.

"I owe you, Lucius. You saved my life when I didn't even want to live and at great risk to yourself in the bargain. You gave me a safe haven here afterward, and it has become my home. You helped me regain my livelihood, working in potions. So many things, Lucius, I will never be able to repay it all."

"Severus, I didn't do any of those things expecting something in return. I did them because you're my friend. I fail to see what any of this has to do with Hermione."

"You haven't shown a lasting interest in any woman for years, at least not for more than a few days, a week or two at most. Not since Narcissa left you and filed for divorce. I remember how you were then. It was a dismal time, Lucius, worse even than those last months of the war, and it doesn't get much darker than that."

"It was," agreed Lucius. "But that was a long time ago, Severus. I still don't see what has that to do with—"

Severus interrupted. "When I got your first note, I thought it was a joke. Then when I realized you were serious, I figured Granger must be using you, playing with you. For revenge perhaps? Or for money? When you assured me there were no spells, or potions, or coercion, or blackmail, I still figured she must be using you for some reason. I just can't figure out what she expects to gain. All I know is that I don't want you to be like that again, Lucius, like with Cissy. And Granger... even now, I fear in the long run she's going to hurt you."

Lucius sighed and shook his head. "You're wrong about her, Severus. You have no idea what she's really like now or the woman she has become. She didn't expect things to turn out this way anymore than I did. Your impressions of her are skewed by your dislike of Potter and her association with him. You're still holding things against her that she did as child, like stealing from your potions stores and and setting your robes aflame. All that aside, things haven't been all lollipops and daisies for her either since the war, you know. She's had hard times and has changed in many ways from the schoolgirl you remember from your teaching days.

"And while I do appreciate your concern for me, Severus, I'm a grown man. It's not your responsibility to protect me. You're not my father. My father was pretty much of an arse, if you'll recall, much like your own—one more thing we have in common. I don't want to be protected from Hermione. I don't think she's plans to hurt me, not intentionally. But I'm willing to take the risk because I love her."

Severus nearly choked. "You love her?"

"She had practically the same reaction last night. Why is that so hard to believe?" said Lucius with a big grin and a twinkle in his eye.

"Uh! Gods! Don't start twinkling at me, Malfoy. I've had enough of that to last a lifetime," complained Severus with a look as if he'd just tasted something sour. "How can you love her when just yesterday you told me that you were using her and she was using you? Now, suddenly you're in love with her?"

"I lied to you yesterday," explained Lucius bluntly. "I wasn't going to tell you the truth when I hadn't even told her yet. But I did after I got her back to my room last night. And she reciprocates and went to great lengths to show me just how much," said Lucius with satisfied look on his face.

"Ugh! Please, I don't want the mental image seared into my brain of what you and Granger get up to!" exclaimed Severus as he scrubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I give up. You're right. I shouldn't have interfered. I fucked things up royally. Tell Granger I'm sorry. She doesn't have to sign anything, not even the standard agreement unless she wants it."

"You can't possibly believe that you're getting off the hook that easily?" asked Lucius in disbelief. He was almost feeling sorry for his friend for having to deal with Hermione. Almost, but not quite. "Oh, no, no, no, old boy. You created this horror, and you are going to fix it yourself. Man up and pay your dues, Severus. Go find her right now and fix this debacle. And don't forget to apologize extra hard for implying that she's not to be trusted." Lucius chuckled to himself and muttered, "That should go over really well."

* * *

Severus spent an hour and a half looking for Hermione. He couldn't find her anywhere. He'd begun to fear that she'd done a runner, and he knew if that were the case, Lucius would have his hide. It was finally one of the vintner-elves who pointed him in the right direction, saying he'd seen the witch heading off across the fields to her favorite picnic spot.

That was where he found her, sitting cross legged on a blanket, a sketch pad in her lap, the remnants of her lunch next to the picnic basket. He strode down the hill, making as much noise as he could, but she simply ignored him. He cleared his throat to get her attention. She glanced over her shoulder, looked directly at him and then turned away, ignoring him completely, as if he weren't even there, taking a sip of her wine and returning to her sketch.

Severus crossed his arms and glared down at her. It wasn't often the surly Potions master received the cut direct. He wasn't used to being ignored. He walked around to stand at the edge of her blanket in front of her and just off to one side. She refused to look up. He could stand here all day, he decided. She would have to acknowledge him eventually. After several minutes, he began to tap his foot in irritation.

After several more minutes, she glanced up from her sketchpad and stared at his tapping foot. She then proceeded to peruse the general area around him, her eyes seeming to be searching for something in the tall grasses. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer. "What in blazes are you looking for?" he demanded, angry because he'd been determined to make her acknowledge him by speaking first.

"Oh, nothing," she replied innocently. "It's just that I've read that some animals respond to vibrations, and as your foot is tapping away like some kind of voodoo drum, I wanted to make sure..."

"Make sure of what?" he snapped when she paused.

"Well, you see, you're standing in the very spot where, a while back, Lucius petrified an Asp Viper that was just about to bite me."

Severus jumped. "Snakes?" he cried, his voice rising several octaves. His wand snapped into his hand and he turned full circle to carefully survey the area. Giving her a sideways glance, as if he weren't quite sure if she were just playing with him or not, he proceeded to ward an area in a huge circle around the blanket.

Then, not waiting for an invitation, he dropped down to sit on the blanket facing her. "That was cruel, Granger," he drawled.

The satisfied smirk fell from her face, and wide eyed, she replied, "It was at that. In spite of everything you've done to hurt me, I shouldn't have jested about it. I know how terrified you must be of snakes."

"Oh, don't go soft on me. I probably deserved it," he admitted. "It was a brilliant pay back. But cruel, exceedingly cruel, even for you, Granger."

"I'm normally not such a vindictive person," she protested.

He snorted. "Oh, please. Marietta Edgecombe—Sneak... Cormac McLaggan—Confundus... Dolores Umbridge—Centaurs."

Hermione glared at him, eyes narrowed. Abruptly, she turned away as she changed the subject. "Why are you here? I have nothing to say to you. Go away." Attempting to ignore him again, she flipped the page of her sketchbook over and began to draw the crumpled blanket and the remnants of her picnic. Before long, almost without thinking about what she was doing, his hand and arm appeared in the edge of the drawing, palm flat, leaning casually on the blanket.

Severus said nothing for several minutes. He watched her silently as his eyes dropped to her drawing. She was quite good, he mused, and he suddenly realized that the sketch of the chateau, which was now framed and hanging in Lucius' study, was one of hers.

In that moment, he had a bit of an epiphany. Something Lucius had said earlier struck him: he really didn't have any idea of what she was like now or the woman she had become. He'd been viewing her through impressions he'd formed years ago when they were both entirely different people. She was now a woman grown, no longer a schoolgirl. An accomplished artist. A master at Arithmancy. Still eager to learn, willing to take on a Potions apprenticeship. Lucius said she had befriended Draco after the war, which proved that she was capable of forgiveness and change. When she had thought that he'd subjected Lucius to an Unbreakable Vow, she'd been truly furious. So, apparently, she really did love his best friend.

Interrupting his thoughts, Hermione closed the sketchbook and tossed it aside. Picking up her wineglass, she drained the last bit of wine. "Why are you still here?" she asked disdainfully.

"I needed to find you. To explain. To apologize."

"I know Lucius must have sent you, but I don't want to hear a pile of false apologies. Just leave me alone, Professor," she said bitterly, as she began to throw things haphazardly into the basket.

"What if they're not false? What if I have come here to admit I was wrong?" he asked contritely. His thoughts flew back to another time and another Gryffindor witch he had tried to apologize to. That experience had not ended well.

The tone of his voice had changed, gotten softer, more sincere. Hermione looked at him from under her lashes. Knowing that this man rarely humbled himself to anyone, she decided to at least hear him out. She stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her hands. "All right, I'm listening."

A bit surprised that she was actually going to let him have his say, Severus paused to gather his thoughts before he spoke. "You were quite right. I was trying to intimidate and bully you, hoping to scare you off. When it became apparent that was not going to work, I used the contract. I'd thrown it together the night before as a backup plan."

"A backup plan?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"I was desperate. I knew that you'd never sign it. But I hoped that you would believe that I would make your apprenticeship such a miserable experience and that you would run screaming in the other direction."

"Why were you so desperate to drive me away?" asked Hermione in a small, almost hurt tone of voice.

"I figured you had to be after something, and that somehow in the long run, Lucius was going to get hurt. I was here, you know; I saw what he was like after his marriage ended. It was not a pretty picture. It has taken him a long, long time to recover. You're the first woman he's shown any lasting interest in since then. I couldn't imagine that it would end well, with you being you and all the past differences standing between the two of you. I was trying to protect him."

Hermione studied his face, but then looked away. "I didn't realize how hard the divorce was on him. I knew how upset Draco was over it, as it happened during our final year at Hogwarts." Hermione swallowed and said in a pained voice, "I guess Lucius must have loved Narcissa very much."

"I can't really say if it was love or not. I know their marriage wasn't a love match. It was arranged. But I think because he went to such lengths trying to protect his family, that when she left him afterward, he was devastated. He felt as if everything he'd done all those years was for naught. He lost his family in the end anyway."

"He didn't lose Draco, though," objected Hermione. "And he has you. You stood by him. Just a little while ago I hated you. But I suppose I can see where you were coming from. In your mind, you really were trying to protect him."

Severus nodded, glad to see that she was being reasonable. "He's my friend. I have few, so the ones I do have I guard ferociously. He would do the same for me, I know. It's what good friends do. They watch each other's back."

As he watched as her, her face crumpled before his eyes. She drew her knees up and covered her face with her hands. What had he said to bring this on? Gods, witches were so emotional. He had no clue what to do. "Miss Granger...?"

She held up her hand, and took a moment to compose herself. "I'm sorry, your words... Your words just made me think of the past. I had a friend like that, or so I thought. Someone who would always look out for me, always 'have my back.' Someone who would stand by me no matter what. But he didn't... When I needed him the most, he let me down." Hermione choked back a sob. "Damn it all, Snape! I swore I would never shed another tear over that berk. Look what you've made me do!"

Severus held out a neatly folded hanky. Hermione accepted it; she wiped her face and blew her nose. She took several deep breaths and fanned her hands in front of her face before she was calm enough to continue. "Enough of that; the past is the past. My concern now is the future. Look, I'm not going away, no matter what you do. Accept that right now because it's not going to change.

"I didn't come here this summer planning to fall in love with Lucius Malfoy. The very idea is ludicrous. I came here thinking I could somehow influence him to accept Draco's wishes, and in exchange, I'd get an apprenticeship with the elusive Mr. Sebastian." She smiled at Severus as she said this, and surprisingly, he smiled back a little.

"When I realized I had a much better chance through Lucius' influence, I made a deal with him. I won't lie to you about it. By that point in time, I wanted him, nearly as much as the apprenticeship. But still, I never thought it would lead to love."

"He's a hard man to resist, or so I've been told," Severus replied with a knowing look.

"He is indeed. He's gorgeous, but it's not just that. Beneath the good looks, he's so much more. He's charming and funny and witty and intelligent. He's so haughty sometimes I just want to smack him, but then he can be so kind, and sweet I want to curl up with him and never let him go. He's considerate and sexy and brilliant and so irritating that sometimes I want to scream in frustration. I just..."

"You love him," he said plainly.

"Yes... Yes, I do. I love him very much."

Severus stood and stretched. He pivoted and looked back towards the chateau, thinking for a moment. He turned back and looked down at Hermione. "The apprenticeship is yours, if you still want it."

She focused on his face, as if she were trying to figure out what he was thinking, what he was planning. Finally, she responded, "I'd rather have Lucius."

With a sharp bark of laughter he said, "You can have both. No strings attached. You don't need to sign a contract unless you want one for your own protection. I'm willing to sign the standard issue one for you, if that's what you want. I've changed my mind about you, Granger. I think perhaps I can trust you after all."

He reached out his hand to Hermione to help her to her feet. She considered for only a brief second before she put her hand in his and let him pull her up. With a quick wave of her wand she shrunk the rest of her things and Levitated them into the basket. Then the blanket folded itself and followed them in.

She turned to Severus with a grin and said, "Don't think I haven't noticed, Slytherin, that you said you had to find me, explain, and apologize. Well, you found me, Severus, you explained your actions, but I'm still waiting for the apology."

A stormy look came over his face before he muttered, "Damn it all!" He turned to face her with his hands clasped behind his back. He cleared his throat and rolled his eyes just a bit before he said, "Please accept my most sincere apologies. I have misjudged you and I have said and done hurtful things for which I am truly very sorry. Please forgive me, Hermione."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. It was the first time in her life that she could recall hearing Severus Snape use her first name. She hoped it would be the first of many.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Days of Wine and Wizards

Chapter 7

When they arrived back at the chateau, Lucius was waiting anxiously to hear if they had managed to reach a truce. Hermione confirmed that they had indeed settled their differences, and she would be apprenticing with Severus.

At that point, Lucius promptly declared, "That's wonderful, sweet; I'm so glad it worked out. I was sure you two would either reach an accord, or hex each other into kingdom come. I just hadn't decided which way it was going to go." He wrapped his arms around Hermione and kissed her soundly. "By the way, Severus, don't plan on Hermione starting her apprentice's duties for the next few days."

"Why ever not?" demanded Severus, clearly irritated by Lucius' interference. "We have many things to do, inventory to take, supplies to order, projects to—"

"Oh, come now, Severus," interrupted Lucius. "Don't be such a spoil sport. I want to take my witch on a short holiday to celebrate."

Hermione squealed happily. "Oh, Lucius, really? Where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want, ma chérie. I was thinking we could use the Tuscan villa, or the country lodge in Ireland, or the chalet in Switzerland, or any number of places. Whatever appeals to you."

"I have no idea, Lucius. They all sound wonderful. Anywhere we go is fine as long as we're together."

"Oh, pleeease," drawled Severus, curling his lip in disgust. "It's getting so sweet in here that my teeth are aching."

Lucius laughed. "You're just jealous, my friend. We could invite you along, but two's company and all that rot... Besides, Hermione's right. It doesn't matter where we go, as we probably won't be leaving the bedroom all weekend anyway."

"Aaack! My brain! You're searing my brain!" cried Severus, scrubbing at his eyes.

Lucius laughed even louder as he whisked Hermione out of the room.

They ended up at the townhouse in Florence. Lucius decided that he and Hermione were both right. It didn't matter where they went as long as he could be alone with his witch, and his plans to keep her occupied didn't involve sightseeing. Plus, he'd always liked the townhouse because Narcissa had hated it, so she had rarely been there. He decided that creating memories there with Hermione would make it their own.

Lucius laughed uproariously. "Oh, my dear, when we get home, you simply must store that memory in my Pensieve. I have to see it for myself."

"I will not," declared Hermione. "And you are being horrible. I never would have told you if I'd known you'd be like this. Lucius, please, you mustn't say anything to him," she begged. "I've only just begun to gain his trust. If he finds out I told you, he will be furious with me and absolutely impossible to work with."

Shaking his head, Lucius replied, "Oh, very well. If you insist, chérie." Then as soon as Hermione turned her back, he began tapping his foot. When she spun around again, he squealed, "Snakes!"

"Lucius!" Incensed, she charged him and tackled him onto the bed. She spent several minutes trying to pin him down, as he retaliated in kind. They rolled around and struggled against each other. Before long, desires were ignited, and they had quite a different activity on their minds.

Lucius won out eventually, although he allowed Hermione to put up a good fight first. Securing both of Hermione's wrists in one hand, he held them above her head. She continued to squirm, trying to escape, so he threw a leg across her thighs, holding her down. She'd been wearing a satin dressing gown, so it was an easy matter to slip his free hand down and untie the sash, opening the robe. His hand roamed over her body as he nuzzled her neck and breasts with his mouth.

"Oh, Lucius," she moaned, trying to press close to him. He continued to hold her immobile, his other hand gliding sensuously over her, teasing her. Hermione couldn't believe how much this turned her on. "Uhh... please... Lucius, please... I need you so much. Please, don't tease me."

Lucius chuckled evilly. "Ahh... but ma chérie, I do so love to tease you. I enjoy seeing your reactions; you are so responsive, so passionate." Lucius doubled his efforts. He tweaked and tugged on her sensitive nipples, pinching them just to the edge of pain, first one and then the other, until he finally lowered his mouth to suckle and nip them. He continued to hold her immobile as his free hand slid down to her slick folds. "Oh, sweet Hecuba, you're so ready for me, Hermione. I want you so much, love. But first, I want to watch you come for me. I love watching you."

Lucius stroked her harder, sliding two fingers inside he pumped steadily, then added a third finger. The nearer she came, the more incoherent her words. She had no idea what she was saying, she just babbled on. She was so very close now... when she heard Lucius' sharp command, "Come for me." She simple began to unravel.

"Oh, yes! Hermione. Oh, dear goddess, you are so beautiful when you come apart for me." Afterward Lucius soothed her with kisses and whispers of love. As she calmed, he released the wrists he had still been holding and rolled his body over hers, spreading her legs; in one smooth movement, he thrust fully into her.

Hermione gasped, and then groaned with pleasure, running her hands up and down his back. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her heels into his arse to urge him on. At the same time, her arms snaked around his neck, and the fingers of one hand threaded through his hair to caress his locks before suddenly tightening and tugging his head back hard so she could kiss him deeply. It didn't take long until they both climaxed together and then collapsed in each other's arms.

They lay there, basking in the afterglow. After a while, Lucius spoke quietly. "I want to tell Draco."

Hermione raised herself up and looked at him quizzically. "About Severus and the snakes? I don't think—"

"No! Not about that. Good Lord! About us—I want to tell Draco about us."

Hermione looked at him closely. Then she asked, "Oh... Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

Lucius looked at her sharply. "Why? Are you ashamed of me?"

Hermione threw an arm and a leg over Lucius to cuddle him closer. "Of course not. All things considered, I rather thought it might be the other way around."

"Silly little witch. You really are a ninny sometimes," Lucius scolded as he snuggled next to her.

Just as she was starting to doze off, something startled her awake. Lying very still for a moment, she listened, thinking perhaps she had been dreaming. Then she heard a bump and what she was sure were muffled voices from downstairs.

"Lucius!" Hermione whispered loudly, jabbing him hard in the ribs. She knew they were alone in the house, because she had sent the house-elf who had accompanied them home. She'd wanted to have the place to themselves for just one night. "Lucius, wake up. I hear noises downstairs. I think someone is in the house."

"Hermione, you're dreaming; go back to sleep," he mumbled.

Before she could poke him again, there was a loud crash from downstairs. In a flash, Lucius was out of bed, snatching his wand up from the bedside cabinet. Quickly pulling on his trousers, he told her, "Stay here. If I don't come back in ten minutes, I want you to Apparate back to the chateau."

"If you think I'm leaving you here...," she exclaimed, but before she could finish, he was gone. "Grrr... bloody, stubborn, infuriating man," she mumbled. Looking around, she picked up and pulled on the first piece of clothing she found, which was Lucius' cashmere jumper. It covered her from shoulder to mid thigh. i_It will have to be good enough_,/i she decided as she pushed the sleeves up above her elbows and ran out of the bedroom door, wand in hand.

Hermione slipped silently down the stairs, staying close to the wall. She turned the corner at the landing and saw Lucius standing at the bottom step. He must have spotted her out of the corner of his eye as he twisted around suddenly to confront her. His eyes blazed in fury when he realized she had ignored his command and followed him. He jerked his head upwards, indicating she should go back upstairs. Hermione frowned and shook her head firmly, moving the rest of the way down to stand at his side.

Lucius grabbed her elbow and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I told you to stay upstairs. Can you never do as you're told, woman? What were you thinking?"

Hermione whispered back vehemently, "I was thinking that I'm not about to stay hidden away while the man I love confronts who knows what kind of danger on his own. You big berk."

Lucius looked as if he wanted to choke her himself, but he finally acquiesced. "At least stay behind me," he commanded.

She did stay close behind him as he approached the door to the front parlor. They could hear noises and muffled voices from within, however, they couldn't make out what was being said. There was apparently more than one intruder, but they couldn't be sure exactly how many.

Lucius whispered his plan into her ear, "We have the element of surprise. If they knew we were in the house, they would have come for us first. I suspect they are thieves, but how they broke through my wards is a mystery. We will burst through the doorway, catching them unawares. You stay low, and maintain a shield charm on us, and I will stun the bastards."

Hermione considered it briefly and decided it sounded like a decent plan. She nodded in agreement. Seconds later, the parlor door slammed open with a loud BANG! Lucius stormed through first, wand raised, with Hermione close behind diving to the floor. To say the scene they found before them was unexpected would be an understatement of monumental proportions. Three thoroughly shocked pairs of eyes stared back at them: Draco, Luna, and Neville.

Lucius shouted, "What the hell is going on here?"

"I think that's perfectly obvious, Lucius." Hermione giggled nervously, getting up from the floor, as the three scrambled to cover themselves. "I'd say we've caught these three in a rather compromising position, in flagrante delicto, so to speak."

"I know what they were doing, Hermione, and I even know what it is called. What I want to know is why they are doing it i_here/i_, in the middle of the night, waking us from a sound sleep and nearly scaring us out of our wits," stated Lucius. "Well, Draco?"

After a quick flurry, the three were now fully covered again. "Errm... We decided we wanted a bit of a quick getaway before classes start at Hogwarts next week for Neville and me. I had no idea you would be here, Father, or I would have checked with you first before we—"

Draco suddenly stopped to consider Hermione, who kept pushing up the sleeves of a jumper which was too large for her. The vee neck dipped low to reveal a good amount of cleavage, and the hem hit her at mid thigh. "Wait... Is that i_your_/i jumper Hermione is wearing, Father?"

Hermione blushed as Lucius quickly stepped in front of her, shielding her from Draco's and Neville's eyes. Lucius replied, somewhat snarkily, "Why, yes, Draco, it is my jumper she has on. Donned rather hastily, I might add, when we were awakened to the sound of what we assumed to be intruders breaking in, to cause who knew what kind of mischief and mayhem."

"Together or separately?" Luna asked innocently.

"I beg your pardon?" responded Lucius.

"Oh, I was just curious. When you were both awakened from a sound sleep; I wondered if you were sleeping together or separately?"

Lucius sputtered and fumed, but Hermione answered calmly as she grabbed his hand to pull him toward the door. "Yes, we were indeed sleeping together, Luna. And we are going back there right now. I'm sure we can sort out anything else that needs sorting in the morning. Goodnight, you three." Hermione shoved Lucius through the doorway. As she reached back to shut the door, she added with a sly smile and a wink, "You may now resume your mischief and mayhem, but cast a quick Silencing Charm first this time, won't you, please? I do promise you the same courtesy."

Draco approached the gargoyle and whispered the password. A minute later, Minerva ushered him into her office and offered him a seat. "Don't tell me you already have complaints about your class schedule, Draco," she said teasingly.

"Not at all, Minerva. This pertains to another matter altogether. One concerning a Gryffindor witch we both know and a certain Slytherin Potions master."

"Ahh... There's been progress? Good news, I hope?" she asked with keen interest.

"Yes and no... Or maybe... It depends on your point of view, I suppose. I learned some interesting information in Florence this past weekend," answered Draco cryptically.

Minerva had already been pulling the bottle of one-hundred-year-old scotch out of her bottom drawer, anticipating sharing a celebratory drink with her Potions master. She set it down to glare at him. "What do you mean 'yes and no?' Don't tell me that idiot refused to offer her an apprenticeship."

"Oh, no, that's not the problem at all," replied Draco. "She is all set to start her apprenticeship. The problem is she's already formed a romantic attachment."

"Well, that's wonderful. That didn't take long at all, much quicker than we expected." She practically beamed as she poured the scotch. "I told you they'd be perfect for each other."

"Umm... I don't think you understand, Minerva. The romantic attachment isn't with Se... Se... Damn it all... Julius. It's with my father."

"LUCIUS!" Minerva choked and sprayed scotch across her desk, hitting the candle burning there. This caused an eruption of flame to shoot all the way up the shelves to where the Sorting Hat sat. The hat howled in a panic and flipped itself up to cower at the top of the bookcase, peeking over the edge and whimpering softly.

Draco stared at the hat wide eyed. "Is i_it/i_ okay?"

"Oh, it's fine; he's just been a little nervous around fire since the final battle. You understand."

"Yeah, I do. Neville feels exactly the same way," agreed Draco.

Minerva watched the hat for a moment before her thoughts returned to the matter at hand. "How did Hermione and Lucius end up together, Draco? That wasn't part of the plan at all. Your father is all wrong for her; it was supposed to be Severus," complained Minerva.

"I'm not so sure it's true—that he's wrong for her, that is. They actually seem very happy together, and if you think about it, he's not so different from Se... Julius, really. The two men both have a great deal in common. So, if you think she and Julius would be a good match, then why not Hermione and my father?" Draco asked with a defensive tone.

Minerva seemed lost in contemplation. She then smiled at Draco's fierce expression. "And of course you'd like to see your father happy after everything he's been through, wouldn't you, Draco?"

"Yes, I would. You know I would. But I honestly didn't send her there for the summer with that thought in mind, Min. My first goal was to get her away from England. Knowing that Krum was going to be training here, I didn't want to take the chance they might meet and re-kindle something. And I thought your idea to arrange an apprenticeship for her with Julius was a brilliant plan: throw them together, and let nature take its course. It's just that she fell in love with my father before Julius ever got home."

"Love? It's love? You're sure, not just a passing fancy, then?"

"It looks that way," said Draco. "Are you going to try to send someone else his way?"

Shaking her head, Minerva poured another drink and handed one to Draco. "No, all this meddling is too much work for me, and it never seems to turn out the way I plan. Somehow, Albus always made it seem so effortless. I really did hope for both Severus and Hermione to finally find some happiness in life. I thought that together... Oh, well, perhaps her happiness does lie elsewhere. I think, from now on, I'll just let fate take its natural course." She lifted her glass to toast with Draco. "Here's to the future. What will be, will be."

i_Twelve months later_/i:

It was the end of summer, and Severus was due back soon from his yearly sabbatical. Lucius and Hermione were sitting in their favorite picnic spot. Hermione had enjoyed cock de Lucius as an appetizer, and then he had fucked her thoroughly on the blanket in the warm August sun. Hermione was now lazing with her head in Lucius' lap as he fed her grapes and other nibbles.

"Severus should be home by the end of the week. Does it make you sad that your taskmaster is soon to return and your summer break is done?"

Hermione smiled. "I thought it would be nice to have the chateau all to ourselves for the summer. But, to tell you the truth, I've actually missed him quite a bit. Don't get me wrong. He's still a mean, grumpy git. But he's our mean, grumpy git, you know? I miss our discussions—"

"Arguments, you mean," supplied Lucius. "Sometimes, I think you pick fights with him, just to wind him up, you naughty girl."

"It's possible, it is rather diverting, especially when he turns that lovely shade of purple. But then he's guilty of doing the same thing to me," she said in self-defense. "And he tries to pretend that he's so distant and detached, but then he turns around and does something really wonderful, like the gift he gave me for Christmas." Severus had given her a set of beautiful antique potion vials, and one of them had been filled with a special perfume he had created especially for her.

Lucius idly stroked her hair. "You know, he does care for you a great deal. He may try to pretend otherwise, but he does. When you contracted Horklump fever, he was like a madman. He was furious to learn that somehow you had never been inoculated as a child, which is standard procedure for any Muggle-born student. I thought he was going straight to Hogwarts to strangle McGonagall or Pomfrey. Then he refused to trust anyone else, not even Draco, to brew the potion for you."

"I know he cares for me. I care for him too." Hermione tilted her head to gaze up at Lucius and admonished, "If you tell him I said that, though, I'll have to kill you."

Lucius chuckled and bent down to kiss her softly.

"Lucius, I've been wondering... I want you to think about something. Just to think about it. I'm not saying this is something I am asking for, but I just want you to consider it."

"Hermione, this is sounding very mysterious. What are you getting at?"

"Do you remember when we were negotiating our little arrangement?"

"Of course, my dear, the night of our negotiations is one of my fondest memories."

Hermione nuzzled her cheek against his thigh. "I'm glad to hear that, my dearest. But what I want you to think about is the last item we negotiated. Do you remember what it was?" Hermione sat up and moved in front of him so she could scoot back to lean against his chest.

Lucius wrapped his arms around her as he thought about it for a moment. iWe_ agreed on my influence for the apprenticeship in exchange for her favors. The duration... was that what she was getting at, that the year was up?/i _"Hermione, are you referring to the duration of our agreement? Because I think you know that we really don't need any kind of contract to continue this relationship."

"I agree fully, Lucius, but that wasn't it. I was talking about the last item. The very last thing we agreed to was that neither of us would be with anyone else without the other's complete approval." She heard his sharp intake of breath and hurried on. "We also talked about my curiosity about Draco, Luna, and Neville's relationship. And you mentioned the possibility of having a third person join us, but at the time, I said I wouldn't be comfortable with a stranger..."

Hermione paused, her grip tightening over Lucius arms. Oh, dear Merlin, she hoped she wasn't bungling this. She had been thinking, for quite a while, about the idea that Lucius had put in her head that night, dwelling on it really. But the last thing she wanted was to risk what they had built between them. She had always pictured Lucius Malfoy as a possessive man. What if she had misjudged the situation, or what if he'd changed his mind? "Lucius...?" she said cautiously, suddenly unsure of his response.

He dipped his head down to bring his lips close to her ear. "But, Severus is no stranger... is he?" His words washed over her sensuously. "He is a trusted friend and someone we both care for—someone who cares for us in return." His arms clenched around her, pulling her even more tightly to him. She could feel his erection pressing against her, and she wiggled a bit, eliciting a groan from Lucius. This was a good sign, she decided with a small smile.

Lucius pushed her away so he could turn her around to straddle his lap, much as she had that first fateful night. "Are you sure you really want to do this, ma chérie? You aren't just considering it to please me?"

"No, silly, I had rather thought i_I/i_ would be the one being pleased," she said with a grin as she rocked herself against him.

"Ooh, what a cheeky thing you are, Miss Granger," he teased, unbuttoning her shirt to flick open the front clasp of her bra. "Believe me, there will be pleasure enough to go around for all involved. Now we just need to conspire as to how we will reel the elusive Potions master into our evil web."

"Aah... Mr. Malfoy, I find it so exhilarating when you turn all 'evil-scheming genius' on me. I do have a suggestion. Since it worked so well with you, why don't we trick Severus into thinking it's all his idea?"

"Why, Miss Granger, I believe I am beginning to see why so many find you brilliant." He pulled her forward to nuzzle his face between her breasts. "You are quite the 'evil-scheming genius' yourself."

She moaned loudly as his lips closed around her nipple. "Mmmm... Yes, we are quite alike in that respect. I suppose that's probably why we get on so well," she quipped as she wrapped her arms around him and rolled them both to the blanket. Perhaps she would have another serving of cock de Lucius for dessert.

Lucius waited for a couple of weeks after Severus' return before approaching him. He entered the lab to find both the Potions master and his apprentice present. Hermione, however, upon seeing him, realized why he was there and made some excuse about needing to do research.

As she tried to slip by him, Lucius pulled her in for a quick kiss. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, not stopping until they heard Severus banging things around in irritation behind them. Then, breaking away, she gave him a quick smack on the arse and trotted off with a satisfied grin on her face. As he turned toward the lab, he noticed the black scowl on Severus' face before he managed to mask it. The minx! She'd done that on purpose to elicit a response from Severus, and it had worked.

"I wish you two would keep those little displays to yourself," Severus complained. "The lab is no place for that sort of thing."

"Tsk...tsk... When did you turn into such an old prude, Severus?" drawled Lucius as he pulled up a lab stool to sit on. "Perhaps you need to get laid. Didn't the opportunity present itself on your travels? Usually, you return so very well satiated."

Severus shot him a disgruntled look, but didn't answer, changing the subject instead. "Is Hermione all right? She's been acting strangely since I returned."

"Strangely? How so?"

"I don't know how to explain it exactly. Nervous, I guess. Jumpy, for lack of a better word."

"Ahh... I think I know why. It's probably due to a little project we are contemplating. It is making her a little nervous. It's what I came to talk to you about, in fact. I need your advice."

"What sort of project, Lucius?"

"Well, Hermione has expressed some interest in the idea of a ménage à trois."

Severus' right eyebrow migrated halfway up his forehead. "Hermione? You expect me to believe that Hermione Granger—straight-laced, little Gryffindor swot Granger—has expressed an interest in a ménage?" asked Severus caustically. "This sounds much more like your idea, Lucius."

Lucius smirked internally. Oh, this was really going to be just too easy. "I've said it before, but apparently, you just don't comprehend, my friend. Hermione is not the innocent little child you seem to recall. She's got quite the deviant mind and a delicious interest in a variety of kinky activities."

Severus looked at Lucius doubtfully. Still, he also became a bit flushed, probably thinking about Hermione and what kind of things the two of them might have got up to.

"I will admit," added Lucius as he idly twirled a stirring rod he'd picked up, "I did broach the idea myself initially when we first discussed our arrangement, mainly because she exhibited such an intense curiosity regarding Draco's threesome. However, at the time, she said she would be uncomfortable considering such an activity with a stranger, so I dropped the subject. However, she has recently expressed a real desire to pursue it."

Severus looked a bit flustered, but interested. "Well, I suppose, if it really is Hermione's idea, then I might—"

Lucius interrupted. "The question I wanted to ask you, Severus, is do you think it's better to go with a stranger or someone we know?" Watching from the corner of his eye, he saw that eyebrow twitch again. "I was thinking perhaps if we did go the stranger route, a Muggle would do best. He would be someone easily controlled, and we could Obliviate him afterward, although I fear Hermione's scruples might interfere with that scenario."

"I really don't think a stranger is a good idea, Lucius. You need someone you can trust, someone Hermione would feel comfortable with," suggested Severus smoothly.

"I tend to agree. But who? Hermione is estranged from her childhood friends. Weasley, the man-slut, and Potter, the betrayer, are both out of the question." Lucius shuddered in revulsion. "I could not have tolerated either of them anyway. She was later close to both Draco and Neville. Draco is unacceptable for obvious reasons, and I am quite certain that neither Luna nor Draco would appreciate us attempting to recruit Neville for the task. I do believe, however, there is one other choice."

Severus practically preened as Lucius went in for the kill. "Viktor Krum."

"Victor Krum!" shouted Severus. "Why on earth would you consider that Bulgarian broom jockey?"

"Well, he's familiar to Hermione. Therefore, she would be comfortable with him. And he is someone she trusts. She's revealed to me that she had a very satisfactory relationship with him at one time.

"But here is my dilemma, Severus: how does one broach the subject? It seems rather awkward to approach your lover's former lover with this sort of request." Lucius set down the stirring rod he'd been playing with and turned to his friend. "And I will confide I am more than just a little concerned. What if it should re-kindle an old flame? I don't want to lose her, Severus."

"Lucius, you idiot! Krum is not your answer. I am," declared Severus.

Lucius looked at his friend guilelessly. The attempt at wide-eyed innocence may have been his undoing, as Lucius Malfoy had been anything but that for many years. "You, Severus? Now why didn't I think of that myself? You're the perfect answer. Hermione likes you, she trusts you, she cares for you. And you for her. Me likewise, and I wouldn't have to worry that she would leave me for you. Why should she, when she can have us both? It's perfect."

Severus stared at him, eyes narrowed. "Lucius, you bastard, you've been playing me right along, setting me up. Does Hermione even know anything about this? Or were you simply going to present it to her as a fait accompli?"

Lucius looked downright guilty and decided it was best to come clean. They should have realized that it was never a good idea to try to put something over on a damned Legilimens, they always figured it out in the end. "It was actually her idea. I tell you, Severus, our Gryffindor girl has a Slytherin streak wide enough to drive the Hogwarts Express through. The truth is we both want the ménage à trois, and we both want it to be with you. However, Hermione was worried you would be resistant. She thought if you believed it was your idea, you would be more willing."

Lucius studied his friend closely, and he was quite sure that Severus was more than willing. He just hoped he wasn't going refuse out of spite. Severus stood with his arms crossed, considering his choices. Lucius knew they'd won when he saw the slight smirk on his old friend's face.

"Let's just let her think that for now, Lucius. It will be our little secret," he said smoothly. "Now, just to be on the safe side, tell me, how kinky precisely? I wouldn't want to come on too strong."

Hermione stood at the corner of the bookcase, thumbing through a book, looking for a particular section, when she heard a whisper of movement behind her. She'd expected Lucius, but a whiff of familiar cologne revealed otherwise. Spinning around, she discovered Severus so close she was forced to take a step back, effectively blocking herself into the corner between the bookcase and the wall. Instead of backing off he stepped even closer, invading her space and cutting of any chance of escape short of Apparition.

"Severus...," she said breathlessly.

He studied her face closely for nearly a full minute, his eyes locked with hers. "I've spoken with Lucius, he's revealed your intention to arrange a ménage à trois." She nodded, acknowledging her understanding. "You're positive this is what you want?" She nodded again, speechless.

His hands grasped her arms roughly, as if he feared she might try to escape. "Then as I have just informed Lucius, my dear, I am the logical answer to complete your threesome," he said, his lips crashing against hers, devouring her mouth. Once he started kissing her, she couldn't stop from kissing him back with equal passion. Damn! She had no idea the man would be such a good kisser, he didn't seem the type. When they finally came up for air, he leaned his forehead against hers and took a deep breath. "Come. Lucius is waiting upstairs."

"What... Now?" she asked in disbelief, pulling back as he tried to drag her forward toward the door. He at least had enough sense, it seemed, to realize that neither of them were capable of Apparating safely. "Right now?" she questioned again as he kept tugging her with him.

"Oh, yes, pet. Right now. No time like the present," he replied, already headed for the stairs, his grip on her arm never easing.

As she hurried up the stairs, towed along in Severus' wake, her thoughts were flying. i_Oh, dear Merlin, this is really happening. Right here, right now. I thought it would take some time to bring Severus around to the idea. I thought I'd have more time to prepare. Can I really do this? What if it changes things? Is this a mistake? They've both done this before. What if I'm horrible? What if I make a fool of myself? What if.../i_

"Hermione... Hermione!"

Suddenly, she realized they were in the master suite. Lucius was there, wearing just a soft, faded pair of grey flannel sleep pants. Both he and Severus were standing on either side of her, looking at her worriedly. "Are you all right?" asked Lucius softly. He brushed her hair back over her shoulder and caressed the side of her neck as he kissed her lips.

His touch calmed her. Hermione took a deep breath. "I'm fine, just... just a little nervous, I guess. This is happening so fast. What if I do something wrong? What if—"

She felt warmth behind her as Severus stepped close, enfolding her in his embrace. "Shhhh... You think too much, Hermione. Don't think... Just feel. This first time will be just for you. You don't have to do anything, love; just let us take care of you." He pulled her snugly against him, his hands stroking up and down her arms, and he nuzzled the side of her neck, sending delicious shivers through her.

"He's right, ma chérie," said Lucius as he began to unbutton her blouse. "We'll take care of everything. There is nothing you can do wrong."

"Quite so," agreed Severus as he went back to his neck nuzzling and softly stroking her exposed skin.

Lucius knelt at her feet to remove her shoes and socks, and then he undid the snap and zip on her jeans, sliding them down her legs. Hermione stood before them in just her lacy knickers and bra; she blushed slightly, but her year with Lucius had given her more confidence in her body and her desirability.

Taking her hand, Lucius led Hermione over to the bed. He climbed in first, settling in the center, and then he leaned back against the pillows. He pulled her in to snuggle against his chest. Idly running his hands over her while eying Severus, he commented, "I do think you have entirely too many clothes on for this party, Severus. Don't you agree, sweet?"

"Umm hmmm, definitely too many," agreed Hermione. Her gaze never left Severus as he removed his clothing quickly and methodically. By the time he stood before them naked, with his cock standing erect, she was panting slightly. And someone in the room was making quiet whimpering sounds. Hermione was surprised when she figured out the noises were coming from her.

"It seems that you two are now the over-dressed ones," he commented as he reached down to pull his wand out of his robes. With a whispered spell, Lucius and Hermione were nude as well. "Hmmm... much better I'd say," he murmured as he approached the bed.

Sitting at the edge, he leaned forward to kiss Hermione, gently at first then deeper. Lucius continued to hold her against him, giving her an anchor, letting her become accustomed to Severus' nearness and his touch. "I've got you. Remember, don't think, ma chérie. Feel."

Severus began a slow exploration, his fingers trailing over her neck and her breasts and toying with her nipples. When he saw how readily she responded, he centered his attention there, teasing her, tugging and pulling, first at one, then the other. He rolled the tips between his thumb and forefinger until they were tight little nubs, and then he pinched, twisting slightly until she arched toward him and cried softly, "Please!" Severus needed no further invitation. He lowered his lips to take one nipple into his mouth as he continued to worry the other nipple with his fingers. He continued suckle her, back and forth, until she was squirming with desire, and then his hand slid down her body to explore new territory. Between him playing with her breasts and Lucius kissing and nipping at her neck, she was primed like a stick of dynamite.

Hermione's legs were draped over Lucius', and he now spread his apart opening her to Severus touch. She could feel Lucius' cock grinding behind her, and she wanted to touch him, but he held her immobile, which only seemed to fire her passion further. Severus cupped her mons briefly before moving his fingers through her folds. He slipped two fingers inside, pumping slowly before curving them forward to rub against her as his thumb circled her clit. Her orgasm flashed over her almost without warning. She was so wet she was almost embarrassed. But Severus seemed pleased, he continued to thrust his fingers several more times before lifting them to his lips to lick the juices off. "Ummm... ambrosia," he declared.

Then he turned to Lucius and said, "You're getting left out back there, old boy. Let's trade. I want to watch for awhile."

"Wonderful idea," agreed Lucius readily.

Hermione felt a bit like a child's toy being passed back and forth between the two, but in all honesty, she was loving everything they were doing to her. Severus settled next to her, rather than behind her, and watched as Lucius crawled between her legs and began to lick and suck her pussy like a starving man at a banquet. He knew exactly what she liked and how to drive her mad. Severus alternated between kissing her, watching what Lucius was doing, and suckling at her breasts. It didn't take long for them to drive Hermione into another screaming orgasm.

"Beautiful," declared Severus as he watched her come. Then reaching down he threaded his fingers through Lucius' hair and pulled him up demanding, "Give me another taste."

As she watched, the two men knelt up on bed, and Severus licked her come off Lucius' lips and chin then kissed him deeply. Lucius kissed him back with a groan. Seeing the two of them like this both shocked her and turned her on. Hermione whined loudly. Lucius pulled away and, with a lascivious smile on his face, commented, "Oh, my. We promised Hermione this was going to be all about her, and now she'd being ignored. I do think we need to give our witch some attention, Severus."

Lucius then took control as he arranged them all to his liking. He placed himself at the head of the bed and put Hermione on her knees between his legs. "Now, suck my cock and make it good, wench" he teased as he ordered Severus to move behind her. Severus gave her arse a couple of sharp smacks before he got into position. He slid his cock all the way into her and held himself still while he teased Hermione with his fingers, rubbing and plucking at her clit. At the same time, he watched over her shoulder as she worked Lucius with her mouth. Before long, he began sliding in an out slowly, building a rhythm that escalated until they were all on the brink of orgasm. He knew the instant Lucius came by the way his eyes rolled back in his head. Severus began pumping wildly, knowing he wouldn't be far behind. Severus reached his hand under Hermione to slip his fingers between her folds, and he rubbed firmly over her clit as he gave a final thrust, pushing them both over the edge.

They all fell together in a heap on the bed and dozed quietly for an hour or so. Hermione was the first to wake, and feeling brave she slithered down the bed between the two men and took a cock in each hand to squeeze and stroke until they were both hard. Then she began to use her mouth, first going at one and then the other. The were both wide awake now and enjoying her efforts greatly. Hermione was doing her best to get Severus off while he was trying his damnedest not to come. Gritting his teeth he caught Lucius' eye and shook his head. Lucius knew exactly what his friend had in mind, so he nodded in agreement. In a fell swoop he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her off of Severus.

"Why did you do that? I wanted to make both of you come," she cried in frustration.

"We want that too, pet," Severus assured her, pulling her down to kiss her. "But we have something else in mind."

"Yes," agreed Lucius, scooting over and lying in the center of the bed. "Something special. Here, you get on top." He positioned her over his already hard cock. He slid his fingers into her sex, and finding her ready, pushed her down onto him. "Oh, gods yes, that's good," he sighed as she began to move over him.

"Ummm... very good," she agreed, rocking back and forth on him, bracing her hands against his chest.

She forgot for a moment about Severus until she felt his palm glide down her back to rest on her bum. She looked over her shoulder to see him watching them and knew he could clearly see Lucius' cock sliding in and out of her pussy each time she raised up. She thought she ought to be embarrassed but instead she found herself extremely turned on.

"Perfect." murmured Severus. He continued to watch for several more seconds then said, "Lean down, love. There, just like that." He placed his hand between her shoulder blades and pushed her down firmly until she was bent at the hips and draped over Lucius.

Hermione suddenly realized what the two had in mind and snapped back upright like a jack-in-the-box. "Oh, my gods! Wait. I don't know if this is such a good idea," she objected.

With a dark chuckle, Severus pushed her back down. "It's a most excellent idea. You'll see," he assured her. "You'll like it. I promise."

She felt a cool slickness as he began to spread lubrication over her puckered hole. "I'm not sure this will work," she said worriedly.

"We can attest that it will," said Lucius, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her softly. "Besides, you liked it when I've fucked you there. Quite a bit if I recall."

"But this is different. There was only one of you. I'm not entirely sure the human body is meant to be used in such a manner."

"I can assure from past experience that it is entirely do-able. You know, Hermione, there's a reason it's called a ménage à trois, and not a ménage à deux." said Lucius patiently.

Severus was now spreading the lube around, sliding a second finger inside to stretch her tender flesh. "Oh, gods," she squeaked.

"You think too much, Hermione. Trust us," said Severus gently. "I promise, we'll go slowly, and if it's really too much for you, we'll stop."

Lucius looked at Severus to see him mouthing the words 'distract her,' so he set about doing just that. He stroked Hermione and kissed her mouth, sliding down to nibble her neck, as his hands teased her breasts and tugged a her nipples.

Glancing over Hermione's shoulder once more, he saw Severus lubing his cock. Then he moved behind Hermione, stroking his hand over her arse like someone trying to gentle a skittish mare.

Hermione jerked at Severus' touch, but didn't object. She took a breath but held it, tensing.

"Relax, love," advised Lucius. "Don't hold your breath, you're tightening up. Keep breathing."

Severus was spreading the cheeks of her arse apart and positioning the tip of his cock at her entrance. With one hand at her hip, he pushed forward a bit, holding her steady. "Relax, love," he said, pushing with a slow steady pressure. "Push back a little." Severus worked himself in a little farther. "Damn, you're so fucking tight. Relax, let me in," he muttered.

Hermione understood the technique, as she was no stranger to the activity, but this was much different from anything she'd imagined. It was both awkward and exciting at the same time. "Relax! That's easy for you to say," she muttered. "You're huge and there's already one big fucking cock inside me. I'd like to see how relaxed you'd be if I were trying to shove a cock up your arse!"

"I say, I know a place where we can get a strap on," drawled Lucius, his tone dead serious. "If you'd care to give it a go sometime?"

There was complete silence for several seconds, and then the tension just shattered like a fragile eggshell, as they all burst out laughing. Lucius twitched inside her and she collapsed on his chest, physically feeling the pressure leave her. She i_had/i_ been tensing up. Severus finally slid past the tight ring of muscle. "Ahh... yesss," he hissed. "That's the ticket." With several more slow thrusts he was fully seated. "Oh, gods... you feel so good... Hermione, so fucking good... oh, fuck!"

Lucius hissed at him, "Severus, don't you dare finish before the rest of us even get started."

He then turned his attentions to Hermione. "You're such a good girl, sweet. You're doing wonderfully," Lucius praised her through slightly gritted teeth. "Are you all right?"

"Ughh..." Hermione grunted slightly. "Yes...Yes, it's good. Tight. Full. Very full. But... mmm... good. I... I don't know how to move."

"Shhh... remember. Don't think... just feel. Let us take care of you," directed Severus. He had mastered his urge to come and he began to slide slowly in and out.

Soon, he and Lucius found a pattern, as one filled her and the other retreated. Over and over, a different tension was building now. It seemed to wash over Hermione in waves, each one higher than the last. Lucius was whispering words of love and lust and sex in her ear as his hands and mouth slid over her. Severus still had one hand braced on her hip, clutching tightly, grunting a little each time he pulled her back on his cock. She was sure to have bruises on her hip tomorrow, but she didn't really care at this point. She never wanted it to stop, this feeling of euphoria. Then the rhythm changed as they both pounded into her simultaneously, in and out, in and out, over and over, until she just knew the whole world was going to explode. Severus managed to slip his other hand around, and his fingers pressed firmly on her clit, throwing her off the cliff and into the void. She was fairly sure they followed her over but couldn't say for sure because at that point consciousness drifted away.

When Hermione awoke, she was snuggled between her two wizards, the sheets pulled up over them. They both were petting her, kissing her face and neck, stroking her hair. She felt a bit sore and a bit tired, but very well loved.

"Mmmm...," she sighed happily. "That was nice."

Severus choked out a laugh. "Nice? i_Nice?/i_ I think the top of my fucking head just blew off, and you think it was merely nice?"

"Mmmm hmmm," she sighed and smiled with a silly grin. "Really, really nice."

"You were marvelous, ma chérie," praised Lucius, stroking her hair away from her face as he kissed her temple. "Simply marvelous."

"You too, sweet. Both my sweets," she teasingly addressed both of them .

"So... Did the whole ménage à trois thing live up to your expectations, pet?" asked Severus, watching her reaction closely.

"Ummm... I'm really not sure," she replied, sounding a little befuddled.

Severus and Lucius both looked at each other, concern in their eyes.

"Does that you mean you wouldn't want to try it again sometime?" asked Severus, trying not to show his disappointment.

"Actually, I think in order to make a definitive judgment," Hermione explained seriously, "we really need to have quite a few more trial sessions. To decide positively how I really feel about it might take years. Don't you agree?"

Lucius and Severus grinned broadly, and both agreed heartily. It would surely take years and years and years.

fin


End file.
